Trapped in the Brawl
by pgasniper
Summary: Someone buys SSBB on the first day, unfortunately he is unable to play the game as he is too busy living it! He's now trapped in an unknown world trying to regain his memory and return to his previous life. But it's never that simple...
1. Day 0: Beginning

**Author Notes: I began writing this a while ago; this is a separate story from my main SSB series. Basically this story was something I began to write as a change of pace. However I lost interest in writing it. Recently though my interest was renewed. Because of the delay this was originally going to take place in February. However nothing very interesting happens in February (Save for valentine's day and this time a leap year...) (Mind you to be fair nothing that interesting besides Christmas, and New Years happens in December...) so this story is going to take place in an alternate universe where SSBB was released on December 3rd... and that the stores would of had it shipped to them prior instead of getting the shipments in the middle of the day... yes I'm bitter about those practices... In any case with out further ado:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Nintendo characters... As much as I would like to... I only own the nameless main character of this story. (I also own Rai, Sui, and Tei) **

Day 0:

The following is all-true, for those who find these documents thank you for taking your time to read through them. I reiterate that the following is all true and written down from my memory exactly as I remembered it. All of those days that I spent in that mysterious place, and the friends I made. I will not forget you, ever. Now let us begin:

I opened my eyes to the ringing of my alarm and lazily stared at the ceiling of my room. My eyes slowly drifted to the clock. "3 bloody AM!" I moaned reaching towards the alarm to shut it off and turn on the light. Immediately I jumped off of my bed and onto the cold ground. I don't know how long I had been waiting for this day. Yes it was finally here Monday December 3rd, 2007.

Quickly I changed clothing and I raced out of my house down to my car. I opened the door and I entered it. Looking at my house I drove off.

The drive was rather smooth. A small blanket of fresh snow had fallen on the road the previous night, but now it had stopped snowing. The roads weren't icy. After about 7 minutes of driving I landed in front of EBgames. After parking I got out and walked up to the door. I looked up and there in front of me was someone else draped in a cloak, he appeared to be shivering.

In a bit of shock I stared at the person. "Hello," I muttered a bit cautious staring at his cloak partly afraid that it might be hiding a weapon of some kind. He looked at me. From underneath the cloak I was positive that I could feel his smile.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one." He said calmly. I just stared puzzled. "To be so obsessed with this game and coming here in the early hours of the morning to essentially freeze until the store opens."

"Misery loves company." I muttered.

"Why do you want it?" He asked me.

I was taken aback by the sudden question. Thinking about it for a minute I eventually responded. "For fun."

"Did you ever own the N64 installment?" He asked.

"Yes" I responded with out hesitation. In my mind I was trying to figure out what this guy wanted. Was he just trying to start a conversation? Was he trying to be friendly? Was he secretly plotting my demise? "And you?"

"Yes." I couldn't explain it but the very air around him seemed to be full of a positive energy. "Why did you buy it?"

Once again I hesitated. To be honest I couldn't even remember why I bought it, in fact I didn't buy it. It was given to me as a gift. But I had rented it before then; all that I saw was the commercial, the one where Pikachu, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi were skipping through the field when suddenly they began to fight. I only needed to see it once and I was hooked. Mainly for Pikachu... Hey I was young back then!

We talked for hours. Each of us talking about our previous gaming experiences quite freely. We talked about our first games we ever played, his was Donkey Kong in the arcade, and mine was Punch Out on the NES. Eventually we had exchanged Wii friend codes and he even went to a nearby coffee shop and got us both a coffee.

Until eventually the manager had came to the store. A few others had joined us but more closely to the time when the store was about to open. Almost ready I pulled out the receipt from my wallet. Since the day I had preordered it I looked at it nearly daily, just to prove that it was real.

Eventually the store opened. They only allowed two of us in at a time so I felt slightly relived that I wouldn't be last in the line. That I wouldn't be the last one to go home. Everything seemed almost too good to be true. Boy it was. Getting the game was easy. Going home was the hard part. It seemed just like every other day everyone out on the road was a blithering idiot, and out to kill you. Or inexplicably slower. Just today it seemed more noticeable. A lot more noticeable.

_Its only a centimeter of snow! You aren't going to slide off of the road and to your death from THAT! The plough has all ready been through!_

I was screaming in my head. How much I wanted to it say out loud... how much I wished my car had a button that launched photon torpedoes or a tachyon beam or something that would break down their car and get them out of my way. I had been waiting for this game for too long. At this rate I gravely feared that I would never be able to play it today in all of its glorious Mario vs. Sonic splendor. I should also probably take a brief moment to break this narrative and quickly say that I was a Genesis kid. However by the start of the next chapter this is all highly irrelevant and rather pointless so its probably not worth that much noting it or really mentioning it, unless of course I have some secret ulterior motive, such as a high word count but I doubt that considering this is only for my own personal documentation...

I hit every red light between the EBgames and my house, which would equate for 6 on the route I took.

When I got home I rushed in to the house and quickly locked the door.

I walked into my room and closed the door behind me locking it. With no hesitation I ripped off the plastic wrap and opened the game. "That car ride seemed to take forever." I muttered to myself. "I can't believe I hit every single bloody red light... This is it, isn't it Chocolate? Goodbye college education!" I said to my black cat that was sleeping peacefully on my bed. Suddenly everything became blurry, I felt as though there was a bunch of weight pushed against me. I collapsed onto the bed and looked up. The last thing I remember was staring into my cat's eyes who was lying on the bed curled up into a ball. It was then I blacked out.

To be continued...

**There was going to be a scene where the two people were talking about the review scores of SSBB and how they were all perfect 10's across the board... specifically from Gamespot. However due to recent events I decided to cut it out... Evidently my anticipation and hope for this game is high... there is only two more things that this game could have to make it absolutely perfect in my books... first Mii incorporation in someway shape or form. I think as an actual fighter would be a bit farfetched but hey I could finally punch Wario in the face for being the ugly money grubbing person he is, or Sonic for anything after Sonic Heroes. The second looks sort of possible. SDcard music. MP3's off of the SD card being able to be played as music in a way similar to Excitetruck.**


	2. Day 1: Amnesia

**This chapter is brought to you by rechargeable batteries…**

Day 1: Amnesia

I woke up on the cold wooden floor of a room. My head was throbbing. A few feet away from me a cat was staring at me. Its tail was waging back and forth and in an instant it pounced over me. Slightly shocked I turned around and the cat was on top of something. "Get off of Chibi-Robo!" A high-pitched voice yelled. Confused I grabbed the cat and saw a small flying miniature TV set, along with a small shiny steel robot.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"We are here to clean this room, you are currently in the Smash HQ, and I am Telly Vision and this is Chibi-Robo. And you are?"

I grabbed onto my head.

_What happened?_

I had a serious headache.

"I don't know…" I replied.

I tried to remember other things but I couldn't. The only things I could remember were that this was my room and my cat's name was Chocolate.

"I don't know, your name isn't in our database. You must see the manager!"

_Manager? but this is __**my**__ room in __**my **__house!_

"Now go see the manager!" Telly ordered.

"No!" I shouted. "This is my room and I'm not leaving! You get out!"

"Come on Chibi-Robo, we must inform the manager about this." With that they left. I stood up and fell back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.

_Do I have amnesia?'_

I looked around my room, each item it seemed like the first time I saw it. The TV was on, and connected to it was a small white box. On it the letters "Wii" were there and it was pulsing blue.

_What is that?_

I reached towards the white box and touched it. Suddenly a sharp jolt went through my body. I cringed in pain and quickly pulled away my hand.

_November 19th, 2006_

The date was the only thing going through my mind.

_Is that today?_

Cautiously I reached for it again and this time pressed the power button. This time there was no jolt of pain. I looked up to a calendar in the room. The days were crossed off and today was circled for some reason. "December 3rd, 2007" I muttered

_What happened on November 19th 2006?_

I turned on the TV and with what seemed to be pure reflex I jumped back and landed on my bed. I looked at the screen and there was some health warning on it followed by 'press A to continue.' I looked around the room and my eyes fixed on a controller that looked a lot like a TV remote. It was the same slick white as the box. I grabbed it and pressed the A button.

_Now what?_

I was bombarded with a screen that had 12 spaces. Each one filled. The first had several stars twinkling then seconds later it faded to a screen that said 'Super Mario Galaxy' stars continued to twinkle through it. The second had a ton of different faces and shifted to a text that said 'Mii'. The third box featured a scrolling message in a blue speech bubble followed by a pink and green speech bubble. The fourth had 12 mini boxes on it that were flashing and then shifted to 'Wii shop channel'. The next was something that said 'Streets of Rage 2' only to shift to box containing the words 'Sega Genesis 16 bit console' a few seconds later. Beside that box was another one that said 'Gunstar Heroes' and shifted to the same 'Sega Genesis' screen. The next box had large green text saying 'Mystical Ninja' on it only to shift to a box that said 'Super Nintendo Entertainment System' a few seconds later. The next box said 'News Channel' and underneath it was the world.

_I remember something else..._

The next box said 'Forecast channel' followed by another box that said 'Contra III'. The next box said 'Internet channel'. While the final box had three photos lying against a corkboard and said 'Photo Channel'. In the bottom left-hand corner there was a circle with the word 'Wii' in it. In the middle was the date. Mon 12/3 above that was the time: 11:30. The bottom right hand corner had a sealed envelope on it with the number 2 blinking. Drawn to it I moved the controller down to the envelope and clicked on it with the A button. The screen appeared blank however two things quickly popped up. Both had a face that looked similar to the ones on the second box. I clicked the first message, which had a face that looked like a caricature of myself, only with shorter hair.

"SSBB is released today" it read.

_SSBB what does that mean?_

I didn't ponder over the meaning of the acronym. I directed myself to the second message. The face looked vaguely familiar blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile.

"It begins!" It read.

_What begins?_

At the bottom left hand side of the screen there was a small image of a calendar. My hand moved the controller down to it. It featured the 27th of the previous month all the way to the 8th of the following month. At the bottom right hand of the corner of the calendar there was an envelope on every single day up to the 3rd of December. The next envelope was on the 25th of December. I clicked that and noticed a note posted. I clicked it and opened it. "Christmas day!"

I exited and then went to December 31st. "Newyears eve."

_Why did I misspell New Years? How far does this thing go back?_

Following the small hunch I began to go back several months. Each month I passed the calendar was filled with a random placement of envelopes. Not a single week went by without an envelope until I came to November 19th 2006. Before it everything was blank. "This is Day 1..." The words escaped out of my mouth.

_What does all this mean?_

I didn't have time to contemplate further as at that exact moment my door went flying off of the hinges and into the TV set (somehow not shattering the screen. I would have contemplated this but…). I sat on my bed both confused and afraid. My head naturally turned towards the door. Standing there was a woman dressed in causal clothing. She glanced at me and immediately at my hand. "He has a weapon disable him!" She ordered. The next second I was floating in the air. Walking through the doors was a large white humanoid like figure with cat like features. Beside him was a man in armor with blue hair at his side was a sword. "Marth you're dismissed! Mewtwo teleport him to my office."

Within the next second it felt like my body was crushed and then stretched out. I had closed my eyes and when I reopened them I was sitting in a chair. I looked around and I was in a dark office. In front of me was a desk; standing on it was Chibi-Robo and Telly-vision. The desk itself was covered in a pile of papers that looked mildly important. There was a fireplace with a small fire currently going. Above the fireplace there was a painting. I was about to get up and look around further when I noticed that my hands and feet were handcuffed to the arms and legs of the chair.

_Crap_

I tried to move around however the chair wouldn't budge, it felt like it was nailed to the ground. A few seconds later the woman had appeared. She sat down in her chair and glared at me. She had dark long hair, hazel eyes that were covered by glasses. "This was supposed to be an easy day…" She muttered not at all amused. She took a deep breath and then looked at me. "How did you get here?" She asked.

"Well whatever that creature was teleported me here out of my room at your command."

There was a sudden sharp jolt that went through my body. "I don't appreciate smart ass answers." She replied, as her hand moved away from a button, which I could only assume, was what she pressed to shock me. "Now lets try it again. How did you get here?"

"I woke up and I was on the ground of my room, and my cat had attacked that tin can."

Another jolt went through my body. "That tin can has a name," she sternly said. "Its Chibi-Robo."

_Bitch_

A jolt went through my body once again. "And please remember that I can read your mind."

_Could have told me that sooner._

"Now then once more; how did you get here?"

"I just woke up."

"That sounds highly unbelievable."

"And yet you didn't shock me."

She ignored my snide remark, "If I am to believe that you just 'woke up' and were here, what proof did you have."

"Where is here?" I asked. There was a quick jolt that went through my body. She was about to talk when I shouted; "What if I have a heart condition and die from all of this shocking?" another jolt went through me.

"I'll be asking the questions here." She replied coldly. I fell forwards and gasped for air. This time she had left the shock go for several seconds. "Do you know why you're here?"

I had noted that every time she shocked me the shock had gone up in either intensity or duration.

_I better tell her what I know and hope for the best._

"No," I saw her hand reaching for the button. "I have amnesia." Her hand stopped and a smile crossed her face.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes." I replied. "Everything I know was only from the brief period of time that I spent awake in my room before you came in. I probably could have figured out more had you been later. All I know was that something happened on November 19th, 2006 and that today is December 3rd, 2007!"

Her hands moved away from the button completely. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Those dates." She seemed a bit shocked. For the first time she grabbed a pen and a small note book off of her desk and began to write in it. "Now then. That narrows everything down to 3 possibilities. November 17th, 2006. Do you know what happened on that day?"

"No, I can't remember."

"Two possibilities. No I shouldn't say that, the third is still viable. They have ways of erasing their agent's minds. All 3 of the parties do."

_What?_

I was confused. She had just begun to talk to herself and began to go through deductive reasoning. Suddenly she stopped and her eyes focused on me. In her hands she began to fiddle with the pen. "Your room had a Wii in it."

"Wii? That white box right?" She nodded her head. "The first day that had an envelope was November 19th. I doubt that is significant though."

"You purchased it Day 1." Her eyes darted around the room. "Listen, your coming to this world was untimely. We are at the brink of war. An ancient prophecy states that a warrior from another world will come and stop the war. Doing such a thing will mean death for two races."

"Wait! What?" I felt confused. Beyond confused. "You think I'm some hero?!"

"No," she harshly replied. "However you would fit in the cliché quite nicely if you put gel in your hair."

_Spiky hair, amnesia, and destined to save the world. Why does that sound so familiar?_

"You forgot the brooding anti-hero part." The words escaped my mouth. Even I didn't know where that came from.

"Your being here is no mistake," She said having effectively ignored my comment. "While you may be necessary for our world to survive, your being here raises many other questions and not to mention a great threat to us, your ally's."

"And why is that?" I asked.

"Because they don't know what they are."

"What are they?" I asked almost immediately in a tone that conveyed that I was having difficulty understanding her cryptic message.

She looked at me and I felt ensnared in her gaze. "You will remember one day."

_I hope so..._

"Before you leave I have one last question for you." She said reaching underneath her desk. "Is this yours?" in her hands was a black cat.

"Chocolate!" I shouted out. "Yes he's mine."

She put him on the table and she just stared at me. The next second the white cat popped up beside me. "This will be your guide for when you are here." She said. "His name is Mewtwo. And your name is?"

"I don't remember." I replied. "Funny that I remember my cat's name and not my own…"

"The name tag might have something to do with that." Mewtwo said pointing out the obvious.

"In any case he is going to keep you out of trouble when you are here, and then we won't forget to mention that if you do remember the truth and tell everyone he will be forced to kill you. Mewtwo is one of the few Smashers that actually know the truth."

"Smashers?"

"And he will know when you do know the truth."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Mewtwo said.

Suddenly her eyes lit up and Mewtwo snickered. "Right we have to give you a bar code!" She said bringing out something from underneath her desk.

_Wait... What?!_

"Don't worry you will only have a twelve digit number tattooed on to you its hardly painful! And we will just identify you from that number from now on!"

"Wait what? You can't be serious!" For some reason I had a sudden urge to run out of the room as though what I was about to experience would be painful. Everything just got weird. "Are you PMSing? Or are spontaneous mood swings just in your nature?"

She seemed to ignore it. "Be nice! Be nice! BE NICE!" I screamed as she began to come closer.

"This isn't going to be the end of you!"

"I beg to differ I'm allergic to pain!" I shouted, really I doubt that I was allergic to pain but in reality any excuse would really work at this point in time.

"Real men use items." She said. Now this was just getting nonsensical. "Besides YOU MUST RECOVER from your phobia!" Her tone of voice was just getting wacky constantly jumping from soft to loud with hardly a moments notice.

"Can't I just have a name tag or something?" I inquired.

"You have no time to ponder such questions as I'm about to jab this into your body... Now where do you want it?"

I probably would have started running long ago if it weren't for the facts that my body was still cuffed onto the chair.

"This guy needs to calm down. Hee Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya!!!!!!"

"Your crazy!" I shouted. "Mewtwo help!"

"This guy needs to calm down." Mewtwo replied.

"I don't want a bar code!" I shouted.

"Now now, bar codes sound so negative!" She said, perhaps momentarily regaining her sanity. "Lets call them something more upbeat, happy, and inviting... such as friend codes!"

For some reason I think I vomited in my mouth a bit. Only when I regained my memory would I know why.

"Even if you changed the name it's still going to be painful!" I squirmed. "And why should I remember a 12 digit number like this?"

"Why not?"

I whimpered however she stopped as a kettle began to boil and whistle. "Oh the tea's ready." She said walking away completely ignoring me.

"Mewtwo get me the hell out of here!" I pleaded

I didn't know what to think. Eventually my feet and arms were released from their bonds. I got up and looked her in the eyes. "Now then, welcome to the Smash HQ, as your guide I will give you a full tour." Mewtwo snapped his fingers. First we appeared outside. We stood in front of a building that reached into the sky. "It extends 1000 floors into the sky and 200 floors into the ground." Mewtwo said. The next second we were teleported into the lobby. "This is the lobby." I didn't really have enough time to absorb in the sights as the next second I was teleported again. This time we appeared in a cafeteria. My stomach rumbled. "I'm guessing that you are hungry."

"Yes." I replied. "But I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it. Its paid with your rent."

"But I don't pay rent. My room sort of appeared out of nowhere." I said.

Mewtwo blinked in disbelief. "Then that will be on your next bill." He replied.

"But I don't have any money to pay that!" I tried to point out. "And even if I did, there is no feasible way to actually get it converted into your currency. We are from two different dimensions!"

"Well you can work."

"I can't work I have to get out of here!"

"You could also gamble on daily matches." The most you could win is about 40 times your initial investment by betting on Pichu during a Pichu against Marth battle, which is rather conveniently happening at 5 pm tonight."

"Who and who?"

He stared blankly at me. I couldn't really blame him. I'm sure I at one time knew who these people were. "Well then I'll introduce you to everybody." Mewtwo cheerfully said after getting over his dumbfounded state. He began to point at and name all of the Smashers in the cafeteria.

"So won't they suspect that I'm sort of new."

"Oh no!" Mewtwo replied. "They have been told before hand that during the next few weeks people will be randomly appearing and joining us." Suddenly Mewtwo's eyes lit up. "You could also join in the fights and if you win you could gain some money."

"I don't think I'm much of a fighter though."

"Everyone is able to throw a punch."

"Even if they have no arms?"

Mewtwo just glared at me. "Mind you for that you would need a name in order to enter the matches, and a bit of money in order to register."

"And I am getting that where?"

"Well I could loan it to you." Mewtwo smiled evilly. "Mind you there is the small detail about the interest 200 a week sounds good."

"No." I shouted at him. "200 interest that's insane!"

Mewtwo just chuckled. "Really you would just need to beat Marth to pay me back completely. Even just participating will net you $10."

_This is the biggest scam on the face of the earth... and I have to fall for it..._

"How much does it cost?" I asked.

"It costs $100 to sign up. Now then are you sure that you don't have any money with you currently?"

I was quiet. All I could do was try and remain calm. "Well I'm bound to have a few coins in my room."

_But they aren't in this world's currency…_

"Well we will see how much you have. That and you have to find your room." The next moment I was teleported to in front of my room. We entered the room as the door was still knocked off. "Sorry about that." Mewtwo apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Mewtwo lifted up his arm and the door began to float back to the hinges. It instantly reattached itself. "This is on the 30th floor."

"Well it could of been worse." I looked up at the TV it was still on and the Wii also was on. On my bed was the remote. Slowly I grabbed the remote and pointed it at the TV. "Now where was I?" I wondered out loud.

"When we broke into your room you were looking at Day 1." Mewtwo reminded me I stared at the TV several different files were across the screen the one that caught my attention was one that was directly in the center of the screen.

"Today..." It was cut off I clicked on it. "Today's Achievements." I read. "Tell me what is this Mewtwo?"

"You don't remember?"

"No sadly I don't." I replied. I then turned off the Wii. "Besides I would like to find out everything for myself."

"Tell me are you afraid."

"Yes." I replied. "I'm in a world I know nothing about, I don't know who I am. I can only hope that I can regain my memories"

"You have high hopes." Mewtwo replied. "Those that have crossed dimensions before have wound up dead."

"Why is that?"

"Besides those that have come to this world and threatened the balance of everything we have found that human bodies only have a certain time limit in this world before they degrade completly." Mewtwo replied looking grimly at me. "You will begin to feel your body degrade at about 30 days when you will most likely die at 40 days in this world."

"I see..." These words were shocking to me, they would be to anyone in my position. I tried my best to keep a calm expression across my face, but I must of failed miserably.

"They say no one has found a way to cross through the dimesnions. All have stumbled into this dimension by accident as no doubt you have."

"So there is no way out." I said. Mewtwo just nodded. "I see." I stood up and began to walk out of my room. "I'm going to go walk around the Smash HQ get a feel for things."

I began to walk through the Smash HQ, luckly for me they had elevators. Ocassionally Mewtwo would talk telepatically with me. I began to get a feel for the place. The floors from B1-B100 was actually a large stadium. I sat down in one of the chairs and stared at the field. I don't know what actually came over me. I stood up and walked down to the field. Standing in the direct center of the stadium I looked around. I could see everything.

"This is where we all fight." Mewtwo said appearing out of thin air.

"I sort of figured that." I laughed casually.

Mewtwo looked around. "You arn't very social are you."

"Not really." I sighed.

"It must be painful to not know your past."

"In some ways. In others it might be just a bit reliving. Forgetting a traumatizing event that you have always wanted to but failed to."

"Do you think you have an event like that in your life?"

"Perhaps. And in other ways its painful knowing that something's are erased but not others " I replied.

"Ah yes the wonder of Hollywood amnesia." Mewtwo seemed to chuckle.

"So am I the only non-Smasher in here?"

"No, there are a few others." Mewtwo replied. "Do you want to meet them?"

"I really have nothing better to do." I said

Mewtwo seemed to chuckle. The next moment we were both teleported in front of three people. They didn't seem rather shocked by the sudden appearance. I looked at them there was a young boy with short blond hair. An older boy in his young teens with messy black hair. And a woman in her late teens with long black hair. "So this is the new person Mewtwo?" The woman asked.

"Yes Sui."

They were looking over me as though I was suspicious. "The little one is Rai, and the last one is Tei." Mewtwo said.

"And your name?" Tei asked

"I don't have one," I replied. "Well I have one I just don't remember."

"Then we have to give you a name." Rai said rather excited.

_I don't need a name._

"Then what will we mark your grave with?" Mewtwo telepathically asked me. I tried my best to avoid shooting him a dirty glare. But I think I failed miserably.

"So when did you get here?" Sui asked.

"A few hours ago.." For the first time I glanced down to the watch I was wearing. It was currently 4:45.

"Time has certainly flown." The words escaped my mouth.

"Its almost time for Pichu's battle." Rai shouted out excited.

_IS this guy never excited?_

"Please come and watch it with us." Sui said kindly.

"Yes..." I muttered.

We began to walk down to the stadium. All of the Smashers were there and Marth and Pichu were all ready waiting for the battle to start.

"Mewtwo... Put me down for 500 on Pichu."

"Your crazy!" Mewtwo shouted. Everyone also was looking my way. Any conversation that had been there before hand had completely vanished due to shock.

"Kid, you're incredibly stupid." Tei whispered to me.

"Yes but I'll be incredibly rich if Pichu does pull off the victory right?"

"Everything is against Pichu!" Tei replied trying to talk some common sense into me.

"That and you will be in 1000 debt." Mewtwo pointed out. "You do realize how much you have to lose?"

"I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain." I reminded Mewtwo.

"Well fine if you want that." Mewtwo sighed.

In all honesty I didn't know why I wanted to bet on Pichu. Was it an aura that surrounded him. Or was it something more. "Just remember kid... Gambling is a dangerous thing."

"Just remember in 40 days my debts won't mean a thing."

Mewtwo just chuckled. "Then I will make your life a living hell!"

Mewtwo disappeared and then reappeared a moment later. "Your bet has been placed. You wouldn't believe the sour look the receptionist gave me after I placed it"

"Thanks."

I looked around the stadium it was quite large. I then noticed a large billboard displaying the time. "The match between Marth and Pichu will begin in five minutes!" An announcer shouted just as the clock changed. "Just a reminder, this match will be 1 vs 1, with an 8 minute time limit, not only that but items will be on! Place your bets as this looks to be an interesting match!"

"Ya interesting is right." Everyone seemed to laugh. The next five minutes seemed to take forever. But eventually the match started.

Pichu and Marth ran towards each other. Within a matter of seconds Marth had completely overpowered Pichu and knocked him towards the edge.

"Ten seconds." Tei sighed. "It was naive of me to think that Pichu could last longer!"

"And what dictates that he can't win?" I asked

"Tiers" Tei replied. "The tiers are all powerful."

"Who would believe such a stupid thing, nothing is absolute!" I shouted perhaps louder than before.

"Tei is right." Mewtwo replied. "I have all ready foreseen the end of this match. Pichu will lose, he can never win."

_I won't believe that! Pichu, please win!_

Everything suddenly went dark, and I floated in space. In front of me was a TV screen, there I was watching the fight, Pichu was standing still unable to dodge any attacks. Suddenly I felt a small thud in my hands. In it was a platinum controller. Suddenly my hands moved as though it was second nature. Truth be told it was, but I didn't know that yet. Pichu instantly was able to dodge all of Marth's attacks. Quickly Pichu began to use hit and run tactics to raise Marth's damage.

Something suddenly dropped on the screen and Pichu moved towards it, picked it up, and threw it on the ground. Instantly a large dog like creature came out of the ball and a spire of fire erupted knocking Marth into the sky.

Marth landed on the opposite end of the field. He rushed towards Pichu swinging his sword, however Pichu grabbed a beam sword and countered. Eventually Pichu jumped into the air and knocked Marth back off of the arena, however he was able to recover.

Pichu threw the beam sword towards Marth who quickly sidestepped to avoid it. Pichu however rushed towards a crate that he threw towards Marth. Marth blocked however the crate exploded knocking him back and revealing a badly bruised Marth.

"This match is over," I muttered.

Pichu charged up his skull bash and rushed towards Marth knocking him back, he was too far away to be able to recover.

"And the match is over!" The announcer shouted. I was brought back to reality, everyone was in shock as to what just happened.

"Impossible…" Tei muttered. They all stared at me.

"Mewtwo…" I said calmly. "You can keep 1000, the rest goes to me. I'm going to my room to sleep."

"But its only 5:05!" Mewtwo said.

"Everyone will be wondering who just got rich off of Pichu." I said. "Bring the money over to me. " With that I ran out of the stadium. Trying to figure out what had happened. Judging by their looks I was with them the whole time, at least physically. Mentally though… Everything there was familiar, was it possible that I was controlling Pichu? It made no sense.

I took the longest route possible back to my room. I wanted time to think everything over. I occasionally glanced at my watch. The time just seemed to pass by quickly. When I eventually got to my room Mewtwo was waiting for me with a briefcase full of cash. "You're late." He said.

"Sorry." I replied. "I needed to go over what happened."

"Somehow the match I saw never happened." Mewtwo replied. "I don't know what happened but…"

"Neither do I…" I sighed. I could feel Mewtwo's peering eyes looking deep into my mind.

"We both saw the same match." Mewtwo replied. "You were there the whole time…"

"Well Pichu won." I replied. I opened my door and collapsed onto my bed. "By the way have you seen chocolate?"

"Not since he was in the manager's office." Mewtwo said.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow." With that I closed the door I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper on the ground.

"Things to do." I wrote. "1. Find out how to escape from here."

And with that I fell asleep.

To be continued...

**Notes:**

**Boy... its amazing how much one system update can completely screw up your plot... In any case incase it was originally going to be that every day back to November 19th had an envelope. But fate is sometimes cruel. I also had to create the time. Don't expect this to update daily. I'm hoping at least weekly... I'll start posting my crossover tomorrow... Or maybe I won't if I find a sudden burst of inspiration and just write like 10 chapters of this in one day as a procrastination tactic so that I avoid studying for my finals…**

**I can't be the only one who leaves themselves stupid little notes like 'Christmas Day,' 'x's birthday today' ect. On the Wii message board. **

**It's going to be a running gag for the update at the Smash Dojo for the day to be in the actual chapter (Somehow... this may actually work if I run out of ideas...) more or less inspired by 'Smash Updates come to life' by Sirpains (A brilliant idea that I'm surprised no one thought of earlier!) Mind you looking at this chapter it will probably be a bit nonsensical...**

**Finally Hollywood amnesia works a bit like this: you forget what school you went to, but not what you learned in it. It is also known as Laser guided amnesia. **

** Just as another side note... this would have been up yesterday but this site decided to torture me when I was trying to upload it...  
**


	3. Day 2: Cheating?

Day 2: Cheating?

I woke up to thunder and lightning. I looked out the window of my room. The rain was hitting it. "This is the start of a new day." Yesterday seemed so vivid. I got up and checked the nearby calendar, grabbing a permanent marker I crossed off December 03; the circle was still there. For a brief moment I pondered what had happened yesterday and what was really supposed to happen.

What happened: That I had obtained some form of amnesia, and learned that I was in a different world. And that I had become obscenely rich by gambling.

Eventually I walked out of my room and walked down to the cafeteria.

After ordering breakfast I sat down at a table. I stared at my food which consisted of pancakes, bacon and eggs. Every once in a while I looked up to see several of the Smashers staring at me. Eventually when I looked up I saw Pichu in front of me in Rai's arms. At first I jumped due to their sudden appearance.

"Can we sit here?" Rai asked.

"Sure." I replied. Rai sat down at the other end of the table and placed Pichu on the table.

"Rai told me you were the one who betted on me." Pichu said. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Very few have actually bet on me. And when they did once they wouldn't any other time." Pichu replied. "Its rather depressing to know that when you enter a battle no one would be cheering for you..."

"So how did you manage to win?" Rai asked Pichu.

"Well call me crazy but halfway during the match I heard a voice in my head." Pichu explained. I realized that he had heard my voice... somehow. "The next thing I knew was that I was able to avoid every one of Marth's attacks and then when the items appeared I grabbed one and used it to beat Marth. Congratulations on your riches."

"Thanks." I replied.

However it quickly became evident that not all were rather pleased with Pichu's victory. Through out my day I would have to do my best to avoid Marth who seemed in a rather crabby mood and made it his sole duty to hunt down this mysterious person who bet $500 on Pichu and became obscenely rich. All he knew was that the person had Mewtwo make the bet for him.

_He probably thinks the match was rigged and Pichu won by cheating..._

"He does." Mewtwo replied to me telepathically. I jumped into the air due to his sudden invading my thoughts and a few Smashers were looking at me.

"Joy..." I muttered not at all amused now knowing that Marth would do his best to hunt me down. "Is there anything I can do to hide from him?"

"Well..." Mewtwo thought. "You could hide where the items are being stored, the room also needs reorganizing."

_A room full of items... this can't end good..._

"Why is that?" Mewtwo asked.

_I fear that I might just be a natural klutz..._

Mewtwo directed me to the item room, which was located near the stadium. As I entered in the room the lights turned on and it was rather messy. I cleaned up a bit of the mess, and when I was done I was staring at a wall full of red and white balls. Suddenly I tripped over a small cylinder like object.

_Crap!_

Everything suddenly happened in excruciatingly painful slow motion. I fell down backwards and knocked over several of the balls. The next thing I knew was that the balls had released several creatures. They were all glaring at me.

_CRAP!_

With that they ran away out of the room.

_Mewtwo help!_

"What happened?" Mewtwo seemed to sigh.

_There were these balls that released several creatures! And they ran away._

"What!" With that Mewtwo teleported beside me and saw the balls on the ground. "These are Pokeballs..." He began to look up at the wall filled with them. "And you just released a bunch of strong ones..."

"What do we do?"

"You have to get them back. You have to return them to their Pokeballs."

"How do I do that?"

Mewtwo held up a Pokeball and pointed it towards something in the corner of the room. Suddenly a red beam of light shot out of it. It hit a blue blob, which quickly turned red and went into the ball. Mewtwo then placed it back on the wall. "And that's how you recall a Pokemon." Mewtwo said. "In any case you better do this before the manager finds out."

"What will happen if she does?" I asked.

"Who knows... Depends on her mood."

With out thinking I grabbed all of the Pokeballs and the cylinder object that I tripped over and ran out of the room.

_It shouldn't be that hard to track down a couple of Pokemon!_

"I'll shut down the access from these floors. So that they will stay in the bottom 200 floors!" Mewtwo said.

"That really doesn't make any sense... they can pretty much be hiding anywhere in the 200 floors."

"You're really lucky that none of them know teleport."

My heart skipped a beat; now knowing that Mewtwo had said that one of them was bound to _somehow_ be fully capable of using teleport.

"I know what you are thinking, and by natural law you just screwed everything up."

_Shit... wait... But Mewtwo said it first!_

"Only if its been mentioned out loud."

"But I didn't say out loud that one of them was bound to somehow be fully capable of using teleport... shit... YOU TRICKED ME!" I could only imagine that I looked rather stupid yelling at the thin air.

"You must look rather stupid yelling at thin air." Mewtwo replied to me.

"STOP READING MY THOUGHTS!"

"This is really the only way we can communicate…" Mewtwo sighed. "You should be grateful that I'm at least giving you the freedom to walk around the Smash HQ by yourself…"

"I hate you so much right now…" I sighed. "Besides why aren't you helping me with this?"

"Because it's your mess and you have to clean it up…"

_Excuses…_

"I heard that… Besides I all ready showed you how to recall a Pokemon isn't that enough? Not to mention I sealed off all of places that they could escape to the main building."

I sighed. I guess that did somewhat help with the situation. However he only caught 1 of the 11 escaped Pokemon. Not to mention that 200 floors was a large area to cover no matter what. I looked at the object in my hand, the object that stared this wild goose chase, the strange silver cylinder. For a brief moment I wondered what it was, but I thought it was best to find out after I had caught the ten remaining Pokemon.

I don't know what urged me to check the stadium, but I rushed in, and sleeping in the middle of the stadium was a rather large Pokemon. "Return!" I shouted as I held out a Pokeball and a beam of red light shot to the Pokemon and hit it. Deep down inside I felt as though an impossible child hood dream had been accomplished. With the Pokemon back inside the Pokeball it was encased in a white light and quickly disappeared.

"You caught a Snorlax," Mewtwo telepathically said. "It's a rather lazy Pokemon, but I guess you catching it is a catch. But don't think that any of the others will be like this. In fact I'm 5,249,371 sure that you are going to fail catching the rest. But if you succeed you might live for 38 more days, if you fail eternal torment!"

_Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?_

"No why?"

_You talk too much._

Mewtwo was dead silent. It was clear he wasn't amused by what I had just said. "And here I was, thinking that I was going to tell you where the next Pokemon was. Guess you're going to have to find them by yourself."

_Mewtwo…_

"Maybe I could forgive such stubbornness, if you beg for forgiveness."

"No thanks." I laughed.

Slowly I made my way through the floors, each time I captured a Pokemon until there was only one left. I had finally cornered the small white egg Pokemon when it suddenly began waving its arms. In a flash of white light it disappeared.

"Mewtwo what was that move?" I asked.

"Metronome," Mewtwo replied, "it randomly selects any move to use in battle. And it just so happened to randomly choose teleport."

"And what are the odds of that?"

"About the same as Pichu winning against Marth."

"Boy I'm lucky…" I moaned sarcastically.

"In any case I've given you access to the full Smash HQ." Mewtwo sighed.

"Do you mind telling me where that Pokemon is?" I said.

"Why?" Mewtwo replied.

"Because it will be my head!"

"I fail to see a downside to this." Mewtwo replied indifferent.

"AGRH!" I shouted. "You are so frustrating!"

With that I began to run through the Smash HQ frantically looking for this Pokemon that had evaded me. Unfortunately the worst came.

"STOP!" A voice shouted. I suddenly froze; I had feared this moment for a long time... well at least since the beginning of the day… I turned around and standing there was Marth.

"So you are the person who betted on Pichu!" Marth said. "Fight me!"

"I don't want to!" I replied.

"Too bad!" Marth shouted. "I'll take down a cheater like you and restore my honor!"

_But Pichu didn't cheat I just made a lucky guess… and took control of Pichu halfway through the match but I'm sure that's perfectly legal._

"He won't listen to reason." Mewtwo said telepathically. "You will have no choice but to fight him!"

_I don't want to!_

"Life is filled with things that you don't want to do, and this is one of them, at times like these you can only stand up and give it your best shot."

_Ok... so how do I fight?_

Mewtwo was dead silent. I guess it took him a few seconds to get over the shock of such a stupid question. Sure I knew how to fight... but he had a _sword_ and I was rather defenseless. "Run away until items appear."

"The rules are: 4 stock, 8 minutes, no items: Final Destination!"

_Crap..._

"I don't agree with those rules!" I said sternly.

"Why not?"

"You have a sword that's an item!"

"Its my trademark along with my dazzling cape that eludes coolness and its also my logo! I would feel naked with out my sword."

_Too much information!_

I was silent. "Don't give in!" Mewtwo said.

_I don't see you here trying to help me!_

Mewtwo suddenly teleported in front of me. Marth wasn't too pleased to see him. "Mewtwo why are you defending him?"

"Every dog has their day." Mewtwo replied. "Yesterday just happened to be Pichu's, beside you were cocky, and arrogant. You thought that no matter what Pichu would lose, but Pichu would just continue to persevere until he beat you! Pichu is also a Smasher and he can accomplish great feats just like us!"

Marth stared coldly at Mewtwo. "So you are going to side with him and not a fellow Smasher!"

"I'm remaining perfectly neutral in this." Mewtwo replied.

"Right and that's why you were telling me to fight Marth a few seconds ago..."

Mewtwo just sighed. "Are you that gullible to believe that you could win against Marth?"

"I know I can't." I replied, noticing that Mewtwo was in complete control of the situation. "I would be naive to believe that I could win against him after I saw yesterday's fight."

"But you seemed perfectly eager to fight him a few minutes ago." Mewtwo replied.

"That was before he said the rules that I'm supposed to abide by." I replied.

"Those are the rules that serious men fight by!" Marth replied.

"You have a sword! I don't! The match up isn't anywhere near fair!" I tried to protest. "In three seconds you could have stabbed me through my heart and killed me!"

Mewtwo just began to laugh. I glared at him for his dark humor. "I'm sorry I just forgot to tell you about the basis of Smash battles, they happen yet none of the damage is lethal."

"I'm not believing that!" I shouted.

"Marth I'll have him ready for a battle in 8 days." Mewtwo said.

"You can't say that with out my permission!" I seemed to shout a lot.

"Thanks Mewtwo." Marth laughed walking away.

"Look if you are going to live here for the remaining 38 days of your life you better get accustomed to what we do." Mewtwo telepathically told me just so Marth didn't hear and figure out where I was from.

Marth glared at me. "You have 8 days..." He said before walking away.

I stared forwards. "Mewtwo... why did you make that decision?"

"Why not?" He replied slyly. "After all you don't want to spend your last 38 days of life doing absolutely nothing. It will at least spice up your life a bit. In any case you better get some rest. Tomorrow we begin training!"

Little did I know how eventful the 38 days were going to be...

"Anyways here are the Pokeballs." I said returning all of them to Mewtwo.

"You're still missing one..." Mewtwo said.

"What? This is bad!" I said running off to try and find the last Pokemon.

_Damn it Marth made me forget completely about that last Pokemon!_

I don't know how far I ran until I eventually heard the manager speaking. "Aw your so cute!" She shouted out. I stopped running and leaned against the wall trying to ease drop into the conversation. "I'm going to take you up to my room." I peered over the edge and saw her standing there holding the last Pokemon.

_Crap!_

"Its a Togepi." Mewtwo said appearing next to me. "You're lucky it wasn't one of the other Pokemon."

"I'm guessing she likes cute stuff."

"And that's pretty much how Pichu got in... That and we needed to fill some arbitrary headcount limit in order for people to feel satisfied for putting down $59.99 a ticket. And there was some pressure from the networks for prime time TV and how they wanted more fighters so that the broadcasted tournaments could last longer and they could get more money from the advertisers. And..."

"Okay I get it! When is the next tournament?"

"51 days from now. The biggest event you won't be apart of!"

"You can shut up now..." I moaned getting more and more agitated by the second. Suddenly a screaming began to fill the hallway. Naturally everyone looked at the source. There Pichu was running from Chocolate.

"Somebody save me!" Pichu screamed.

Mewtwo seemed to glare at me. "Chocolate is a cat..." I explained.

"Yes I know..." Mewtwo replied putting unusual amounts of emphasis on each of his words.

"And cats eat mice. But don't worry…"

"I was glaring because he was your cat…"

Chocolate pounced at Pichu knocking him down in front of us. Quickly I dashed towards Chocolate in order to grab him and stop him however he jumped out of the way and Pichu fired a thunder shock hitting me. "I'm getting quickly accustomed to being shocked..." I muttered falling to the ground.

Pichu quickly ran underneath me and Chocolate began to prowl around me. He then looked up and saw Mewtwo who was waving his tail in front of him. Quickly Chocolate began to bat at the tail. It started off playful and then chocolate pounced biting Mewtwo's tail. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mewtwo screamed in pain.

This was actually enough to finally get the manager's attention. She walked over to us and stared in a bit of disbelief. "Just what is going on here?" She asked. "It looks to me like you were attacked." I had the strangest feeling that she was looking at me when she said that.

"Is it that obvious?" Mewtwo cried out in pain. Chocolate was still holding onto his tail.

"Who did this?" She asked. I made a mental note to find out her name soon. "It could have been one of our enemies... trying to kidnap you. Are they still in the building?"

"Yes..." Mewtwo winced. I made another mental note that she wasn't exactly attached to reality.

She dropped down to my side and looked over me. "These marks, it looks like you were electrocuted!" If I weren't all ready on the ground I would have fallen down.

_Could someone with this high of a position be this out of touch with reality?_

"Describe what the person who attacked you looked like!" She said to Mewtwo.

"Well he's small, black, furry, has yellow eyes..." Mewtwo said. I could only envision him with each word glaring at Chocolate.

"Mewtwo about that thing on your tail..." She said effectively ignoring Mewtwo's description. "Is that a new look?"

"No..." Mewtwo replied.

"Well it looks like a cat..."

"It is..." I moaned.

"You didn't kill it did you?"

"Not yet..." Mewtwo muttered. "Mind you its slowly approaching the top of my mental 'to do' list."

"Good it's so cute and adorable!" she once again completely ignored the second half of what Mewtwo said.

"I'd like to see how cute it is when it is biting you." Mewtwo replied with absolutely no emotion in his voice.

"Yet this cat seems vaguely familiar..."

"That's because you saw it yesterday." I cried.

"Anyways we spent enough time on small talk... We have to find out who did this to you in fact there could be a traitor in the Smash HQ!" I felt Pichu squirm a bit at those words. "And if it is a traitor they will have to be severely punished!" Pichu began to squirm even more. "SEVERELY!"

"Okay we get it..." I cried. "This wasn't anything it was just a complete accident. Chocolate..."

"Who?"

"The cat." I said trying to avoid smashing my head into the floor. "Was chasing Pichu. And when Pichu was cornered I tried to stop Chocolate and he dodged out of my way and Pichu shocked me."

"So Pichu is the traitor!" she said rather proud of herself. "I always suspected him, small, fast, a bit shifty... knew how to get around and all to well timed with his victory against Marth. Pichu is the traitor"

"NO!" Mewtwo, Pichu and I shouted at the same time.

"I think your trying to protect him."

_She has to be brain dead!_

"By the way I haven't seen you around here before are you new here."

_Yes she is…_

"We told you all ready that this was an accident." Mewtwo said. Mewtwo then teleported behind her and knocked her out cold. He reached down and placed his hand over her head and then teleported away a moment later Mewtwo returned.

"What did you just do?"

"I erased her memory of this... when she wakes up she will just remember an elephant rushing through the walls. Or something as equally as random as her mood swings."

"Peachy."

"I also got the last Pokemon." Mewtwo said holding the Pokeball in his hands. "Go to your room and get some rest. We'll meet tomorrow!"

With that I went towards my room. Eventually I got there.

And with that I went to bed...

To be continued...

**The 51 days was to the Japanese launch... from the day this chapter is supposed to be on... (December 4th...) before that week delay…**


	4. Day 3: Training

Day 3: Training

I woke up. Standing up and looking outside of the window I saw that it was snowing and it looked to be a rather cold day. Somewhere in the back of my mind was the thought that yesterday was raining and today it was snowing and that the weather just spontaneously changed. However I thought it to be normal. Quickly I got dressed and went down to the cafeteria. 

Word had spread much like a wild fire. Everyone was looking at me in amazement that I had challenged Marth. Some how I could sense their anticipation. They were all ready for the battle in 7 days. I couldn't say I had the same conviction as them. Suckered into this position I didn't know what to do. Really I had no choice but to accept. Mewtwo walked up to me smiled. 

"Ready for a day of training?" Mewtwo asked.

"I don't exactly have a choice." I replied. Mewtwo just chuckled. 

"A few people will help you through this."

"Joy..."

"So just eat up and prepare yourselves... Actually would eating may be unwise... you are probably going to throw up through this training..." Mewtwo said out loud. I walked up and began to get some food to eat. When I was done eating the food Mewtwo took me to the gym. "They will be meeting us later" Mewtwo said. He snapped his fingers and instantly several weights went onto everyone of my limbs. I collapsed do to the weight. "You are currently wearing 120 extra pounds" Mewtwo explained. "30 on each leg and arm. The first thing that you should do is try to get used to walking around with this. The weight will go to fifty pounds per weight at noon."

"How is this training?" I wondered. 

"By doing this you can move around quicker on the battle field." Mewtwo explained. Somehow I didn't think it actually worked that way but who was I to complain. 

I stood up and began to walk around. I guess that I previously had never done any sort of weight lifting. It took about an hour for my body to get used to the weights. Eventually I began to try and run. When I had gotten running down I began to try jumping. It was a lot harder to jump but eventually I began to get that down. Probably not as high as I used to be able to but it was progress. Mewtwo was becoming rather bored and began to throw shadow balls at me that I had to doge. It started out rather easily with Mewtwo just firing one or two at me. But then it got harder. "I'm going to start firing them at you in rapid succession!" Mewtwo said.

_Simple enough..._

When he said rapid succession he meant it. He would fire them at me quickly. Each time anticipating where I was going to go. Eventually he began to hit me and I went flying back sliding across the floor. I didn't exactly figure out what was more painful the impact, or sliding across the rubber floor getting several burns from the friction. I stood up and Mewtwo seemed to smile. This went on for a while until I was lying on the ground looking up at the ceiling. "That's great for a beginner!" Mewtwo said. "You should probably stay down now unless you want to get hurt."

But I didn't, I stood up. Every part of my body ached and I stared at Mewtwo. Quickly I rushed towards him and he began to throw shadow balls at me again. I was able to roll out of the way as they flew towards me suddenly all of the weight seemed like it didn't exist. Something inside of me had been riled up. A memory perhaps. I jumped up into the air and punched Mewtwo in the face down to the ground. It took Mewtwo several seconds to realize what had just happened.

"What just happened?" he asked dumbfounded. "Where did this strength come from?"

_Where did it come from?_

Mewtwo got back up, a bit shaken. "You are now ready to go to fifty pounds." He said waving his hands. I could suddenly feel the weights again. "The next jump will be the harshest." He said. "Each weight will be 100 pounds." I didn't falter. Once again I began by walking around the gym. Once I eventually got used to that I began to run. However after one lap around the gym I collapsed.

"Its about time your stamina ran out." Mewtwo sighed. "You took quite a beating... and have exceeded my expectations. Training is done for today."

"But what about the others?" I asked.

"They decided to not come and help you. They will try the next training session." Mewtwo looked down at me. "We will meet again on the 7th, two days from now, your job until then is to never take off your weights at any time. They will remain 50 pounds until the next training session. Rest, relax and regain your strength."

"Okay!" I said.

"There is one other thing..." Mewtwo sighed. "Your fight will be the first to use this item." He said. Floating above his hand was a small sphere that was radiating a strange energy. 

"But I thought Marth said no items."

"I was able to talk with him a bit afterwards." Mewtwo sighed. "When we informed the Manager about this match she decided that it was time to add this item to our roster. It's deadly... So I'll talk about it now and you will see it in action tomorrow... its called a Smash Ball. As it appears you must destroy it on order to gain its power, however it won't break on the first strike. So you must continuously bash it until it does break. Then with the aura you can perform a super move called a Final Smash. Marth's is as about as deadly as they get. A one hit KO. But if he misses, he loses a life, unless a wall is in front of him. Yours, you will have to create yours soon. And we are going to have to set up a profile for you as well... Which may get a little complicated..."

"And a weapon to counter his sword!" 

"You still have that object that you tripped over yesterday right?" Mewtwo wondered. I reached for my belt and there was the silver cylinder object that I tripped over yesterday. "Its a beam sword. You can use that as your weapon." With that Mewtwo looked at the door

Two strange men in black suits were standing at the entrance of the gym. "Mewtwo!" One of them called. "The Manager wants to see you." Mewtwo winced, it looked like he knew what this meeting was going to be about, and it wasn't going to be a pleasant one. 

"I'll see you later then. Get some rest!"

Mewtwo teleported me to my room where I proceeded to sleep for the vast majority of the day. 

* * *

Eventually I woke up around 3 pm and decided to walk around the Smash HQ. I don't know what urged me but eventually I decided to go outside.

For the first time I walked outside of the building. There Ness, Young Link, Nana, Popo, and a new person with blonde hair were standing on a giant mound of snow. They were trying to throw snow balls at each other in order to knock each other off. I picked up some snow and patted it into a ball. I tried to throw it however it failed miserably hardly getting farther than a few meters. I remembered the weights and I realized that I have absolutely no idea how to throw anything. 

"So you're the new comer that challenged Marth." Ness said noticing me. "You won't win like that."

"I probably would do better if it weren't for these stupid weights." I said. Ness just began to laugh. Pichu jumped onto Ness' head. 

"Lets help him!" Pichu said. Ness just quickly glanced at Pichu.

"So you're the person who bet on Pichu. And now Marth wants to fight you to regain some honor."

"Its quite twisted logic..." I said.

"He thinks you set up the match so that he would lose." Ness replied.

"Mewtwo said the same thing." I replied. "And he was training me to fight."

"How much weight is that?" Ness asked.

"200 total, 50 pounds on each limb."

"That's quite heavy." The new boy said.

"I'm sorry but who are you?" I asked.

"This is Lucas," Ness replied. "He became a Smasher today."

"I see." I replied. Lucas held up a ball of snow and threw it at me, quickly I dodged.

"Your battle is in 7 days you won't be able to win against Marth like that!" Ness shouted

"I will defeat him!" I shouted. They began to throw snowballs at me, which I found a lot harder to dodge than Mewtwo's shadow balls. They were being thrown in rapid succession, while they were hard to spot due to them being small and white as opposed to the large purple shadow balls. Not to mention they blended in with the environment quite well.

"You have to climb up this hill!" Ness shouted. He raised his hand and the small hill made out of snow began to grow bigger. Nana and Popo slammed their hands down and a blizzard began to fall. Snowballs rushed towards me. The vast majority of them hit. Quickly I took cover behind a large bolder of snow that they had made. I leaned against it and began to strategize about how I was going to climb up the hill. I closed my eyes and began to listen carefully. The wind was rather deafening however I could hear them throwing snowballs and a few of them hitting the large boulder. This led me to believe that they just knew the general area that I was in and were equally blind as I was. 

_I'm safe for now..._

"He's hiding behind a boulder!" Lucas shouted.

_Crap how did they figure that out?_

I got up and ran towards another giant boulder. This time I stopped.

_I'll go right..._

I breathed in getting ready and then I ran to the right of the boulder. However they began to throw to the left of the boulder. Suddenly I realized that they were reading my mind in order to anticipate the attack. However they made the mistake of who's right. Using this brief moment of confusion I ran up the hill until I got to the top. I was surprised to find that it was abandoned. 

_No one would abandon the hill like this..._

Quickly I rolled out of the way as several snow balls went flying towards me. I smiled and ran towards them. 

_I win!_

"Not yet!" Ness shouted. "You have to get us off of the hill!"

I delivered a swift punch to something, however upon closer inspection it turned out to be a snowman. The blizzard subsided and there I saw that the top of the snow hill was rather large. "They could be hiding anywhere" I paused and once again closed my eyes I couldn't hear them at all, the silence was deafening. There was no trace of them ever being up here. Suddenly an idea hit me. I jumped into the air and then I went through the snow. What I was standing on was a shell; the actual inside of the snow hill was hollow. I fell through the roof. There Ness, Lucas, Young Link, Pichu, Nana and Popo were standing in front of me looking rather shocked that I was able to get this far. 

"You're against 6 Smashers!" Ness laughed. "You can't win!"

"I can." I replied. 

_What am I thinking? Sure they are all about half the size of me and their proportions are incredibly weird. I mean just look at Ness, Lucas, Nana and Popo their heads are bigger than their bodies! And they are trained fighters. How am I supposed to win?_

"You're just kids!"

"And your just a teen!" Ness replied back.

_Ouch... that did hurt..._

"I'm twice your height." I tried to retort.

"And we have hammers." Popo said devilishly pulling out a wooden hammer about the same size as he was. 

They began to chase me around the inside of the hollowed out snow hill with their hammers. Just a quick word of advice, when somebody has a giant hammer, you run fast. Faster than you have ever ran before! And when you are done running you run some more.

Ness, Lucas, and Young Link began to throw snowballs at me. A few of them hitting. Most of them were snow however a few had ice mixed in. But they didn't hurt, mostly due to the adrenalin pumping through me. "Is that all you got!" I shouted. 

"PK Thunder!" Both Ness and Lucas replied. A ball of energy rushed towards me quickly I rolled out of the way but it seemed to follow me no matter where I went. Eventually they hit me. A slight shock went through my body. But somewhere I believed that I was beginning to get accustomed to these shocks and building up an immunity. 

"Keep it up!" I taunted. 

They continued to throw PK Thunders towards me. Even Pichu began to shock me. It was then I noticed that Nana and Popo were staying away from me. Probably due to all of the electricity flying towards me. More and more rushed towards me and I continued to dodge, a few hit me and temporarily stunned but it didn't last all that long. Eventually all of us were gasping for air. Each of us at our limits. 

Ness' and Lucas' hands once again began to spark. I just smiled as they began to fire another PK Thunder at me. This one knocking me off of my feet. I just lied there on my back. I could feel everyone walking towards me. 

"Looks like you lose." Ness said. 

"Yeah." I replied. "Oh well it was good training." I was trying to remain optimistic.

Soon after the snow hill began to disappear along with the Smashers. I just lied on the snow until I noticed that it was rather cold and got up and walked towards the building. The building was warm, unlike outside. Outside was cold, and bitter but inside was warm, and inviting... boy those last two lines were depressing. 

I just noticed it but my body was sore. I slowly trudged up to the Manager's office. I knocked on the door. But there was no response. I was about to turn away when suddenly the door opened.

"Come in." She said.

I entered the room cautiously just so she wouldn't chain me to the chair again. "Please sit down." She said moving me slowly to that chair.

"Is there a different chair?" I wondered. 

"Yes... Just sit on this sofa." She directed me to a sofa and I sat down. Once again I was in her office. This time however it was rather comforting that I wasn't handcuffed to the chair, and being electrocuted every other second. "Why did you come here?" she asked.

"They seem like they resent me." I muttered completely uneasy.

"They do. We have seen several cases just like yours, just minus the whole amnesia bit." She replied looking at me. "Just to be completely honest they have wound up in one of two ways... insane or dead. Actually... no just one way dead..."

My heart was beating really fast.

"This world went against the natural laws of logic that they knew and were driven to near insanity. While others looked for a way to escape, looking for a way to escape also drove them to insanity. The other way people believe that since we are just computer programs and nothing more that we exist solely for their own sick and twisted entertainment. These people have tried to kill us in the past believing that we could just regenerate, with them we have had no choice but to kill them." 

"I see." I replied. I had begun to understand why they disliked me so much. I really had no choice but to just accept it. 

"But perhaps you will be different." She replied. "We never had someone with amnesia before. So while everything is new for you here you won't be drawn to insanity by your memories of the past and the logic here." She had a smile across her face.

"What are some of these so called abilities that you are talking about?" I asked. 

"Oh just normal things such as defying the laws of physics by being able to jump in mid air. You know those sort of things."

I forced a nervous uneasy laugh. "Thank you for seeing me." I replied getting up and walking away.

"Be careful." She sighed. "Recently, about 3 months ago another came to this world. He proved to be quite a threat. We were unable to kill him. The scars from that battle runs deep in each of the Smashers minds. And we fear that he is still out there waiting for the right time."

"But what about the 40 day limit?" I wondered, out loud, very loudly.

"There is a 1 in 4,000,000,000 chance that the person won't degrade and is actually compatible with this world."

_Lucky bastard._

"He was the first and only person that we know of... And 40 days is the recorded maximum amount of time that you can spend in here. There have been cases where they don't even spend half of that. I can get Dr. Mario to check how long you have tomorrow with you physical."

"Physical?" Had I been drinking something I probably would have spit it out in shock. 

"Yes in order to participate in a Smash Battle you need a profile, however in order to do that you have to have one of our Doctors check if you are in tip top shape. We don't want anybody to croak before their big match."

_You have no idea how much I want to croak before this match... And by croak I mean GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!_

"Anyways just go down to the Doctor's office any time tomorrow and he will quickly check if you're in good shape."

"It might have helped had somebody not all ready started spreading posters around and stuff..." I sighed. 

"Yeah that might of helped and there are a few things in the fine print that you will have to step over."

I couldn't help but look at her. Yesterday she seemed so detached from reality, while today she was exactly the same as she was the first time I met her. Cold, harsh, observant, and not to mention down to earth. "Something else is bothering you isn't it?"

"Yes..." I replied. I didn't know how to say it. "Um about yesterday... Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes I was at home the whole day." 

"But you were here?"

"No that was my identical twin sister." She replied. "I thought Mewtwo would have told you..."

_Does Mewtwo even know that she had an identical twin sister!_

"Actually no I didn't..." Mewtwo replied. I jumped up in the air and was greeted by a strange glance from the manager. 

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized. "Mewtwo just told me that he didn't know and I'm not exactly used to people talking to me telepathically, especially out of the blue..." I couldn't help but look at her, she was after all a young attractive female and I was a young male whose hormones were probably slightly out of whack. But there was a lot I didn't know about her, for instance: her _name_. "Uh... what's your name anyways?"

"I don't believe I need to tell you that. You're just going to hit on me aren't you?"

_Damn she's good..._

"Reminder: I can read minds."

"Can your sister?"

"That's an invasion of privacy. Besides you wouldn't like her, too random, not serious at all. She dropped out of college after the first week and somehow manages this job with me. Tell you what, you tell me your name and I'll tell you mine."

"I believe you just got owned." Mewtwo laughed. I unfortunately had to agree with him.

"We can just be called Anonymous 1 and 2."

"And our children can be Anonymous 3 and 4!" She said with a great deal of sarcasm in her voice, unfortunately I didn't pick it up.

"Really!" I said excited.

"No." She said coldly. "I have a name,"

"Thank you then." I replied exiting the room. I didn't know where to go after that. Somehow I returned to my room. I opened the door and entered. 

My room was different, what used to be a single room with just a bed, dresser, and TV was now a small bachelors pad. The room was also much bigger. "This must of been what she meant by going against the natural laws of logic." I looked at the fridge and stove. My hand reached towards the fridge and I opened it up. Inside was a lot of beer. "This can't be good for my health..." I muttered looking for food. There in the fridge were several white and pink capsules. I grabbed one and took it out and immediately it turned into a plate full of food. On the plate was rice, covered in a sauce. It almost looked like it was on fire.

_This can't be in any way healthy..._

But I didn't care if it was healthy or not. I opened a drawer and grabbed a fork. Immediately I began to eat it. Once I was done I collapsed onto my bed and I drifted to sleep.

To be continued... 


	5. Day 4: No Name

Day 4: No Name

I was on the cold hard floor, during my sleep I must have rolled off of the bed. I looked up at the clock. It was however flashing meaning that there must have been a power failure, or power surge. Something to reset it. I got up and looked around. Quickly I went into the washroom and had a hot shower. When that was done I got dressed and walked outside. Today was the day of the physical. I sighed. I figured that I might as well get this out of the way first thing in the morning.

However it quickly came to my attention that I didn't know where the Doctor's office was. I sighed looking around for a map until I eventually found one. From there I began to walk through the corridors looking for Dr. Mario's office. It was at that point that I saw Rai walking out of his room.

"Hey No Name!" Rai said walking towards me.

_No Name?_

"He likes to give people nicknames..." Mewtwo replied telepathically. This time I didn't jump; it was as though I was expecting it.

_I see..._

"Where are you going?" Rai wondered.

"I'm... looking for Dr. Mario's office." I replied.

"Well I guess I can lead you there." With that he began to lead me to Dr. Mario's office. I walked in slowly. There I was in the waiting room that was rather inviting. It was brightly lit with a bunch of magazines to read. Sitting at the desk however was Dr. Mario.

"Ah... So you've come..." Dr. Mario said. "The Manger called me yesterday and said that I should be expecting you sometime today. I'm glad that you came first thing in the morning. Hello Rai."

I just noticed that Rai had followed me into the Doctor's office. "Okay just one scan... and you should be fine... It will take about 10 minutes for the results to print out though... Stupid budget... can't upgrade our printers to something modern..." He muttered the last bit underneath his breath.

I was directed to a strange machine and then directed to sit down in a chair. I sat down. Instantly two metallic circles began to go around me and scan me, several flashing lights later I learned that I wasn't epileptic. "All right that's all." Dr. Mario sighed urging me up off of the chair. "Just wait why it prints and I'll bring the results to you quickly."

I was waiting and Rai began to talk to me. "So where are you from?"

"Not around here..." I replied.

"Relax he knows..." Mewtwo said to me telepathically.

"I'm from the real world." I sighed.

"I see..." Rai replied. "So you are getting this scan to see how much time you have left."

"And the Manager said that I would need a physical in order to fight against Marth..."

Rai didn't reply for the next few minutes it seemed like Rai was just distancing himself from me. He didn't talk... he didn't look my way. "Rai..."

"Yes?" He replied uneasy.

"It feels like you are distancing yourself why?"

Rai looked down at the ground. "My sister was hurt by the previous person who came here... both physically and emotionally."

"The lucky bastard who lived?"

"Yeah..." Rai replied. "At first he was nice but once his time expired he changed for the worse. He voiced that he would rule over this universe with an iron fist and that we would come to fear him. He now calls himself The Reaper and is fully capable of killing us..."

"Fully capable of killing?" I wondered what he meant by that.

"Uh... Your scan results are ready." Dr. Mario said. "Do you want to go someplace a bit more private or is right here good?" I couldn't understand why but there was a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Right here is fine..."

"Well there is some good news and some bad news... what do you want first?"

"Bad news..." I said.

"Well... the scan revealed several things. Most notably that you aren't from this world, and as such you have a count down until you will die. Counting today you only have 32 days to live. But you can fight Marth!"

"The good news?" I asked slightly shocked.

"I just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by..." 

"Stop right there!" I shouted something in the back of my head had forced me to do that gut reaction. "So I'm only here for a maximum of 35 days..."

"Yes..." Dr. Mario replied.

"Okay... now is there actually good news?" I wondered.

"Well you can fight Marth now!"

"I said good news..."

"Well in that case I don't have any. The only thing you can do now is just train and work hard. Know that I can heal nearly anything. About the only thing I can't heal is cancer... but I'm working on that... You can leave when you want to."

I got up and left. I could feel Rai following me at a distance. Even to the point of absolute annoyance. It felt like that at any moment he would jump up and strike me down. For a moment I wondered what he could do to me. After all he was just a kid. But then I remembered the pain and the bruises from yesterday. And they were just kids as well. "You know you don't have to distance yourself from me." I sighed. Rai didn't reply. For a moment I thought he fled but I could some how still tell that he was watching me from behind a corner. "Look I'm going to go get breakfast. You can join me. I want to know about this Reaper guy and I want to know what you meant by fully capable of killing."

"You're going to turn on us and go to The Reaper aren't you?" Rai shouted. His hand began to spark. "Is that it?"

"No!" I replied. "I just thought maybe I could beat him... if he is from my world then..."

"You can't..." Rai replied. "He is invincible."

"No body is invincible." I said walking towards him slowly, however I was quickly greeted with a bolt of electricity rushing towards me and striking a few feet in front.

"Don't come any closer No Name!" Rai shouted.

"Don't call me No Name kid!"

"Don't call me kid!" Rai shouted.

"I don't have time to argue with you..." I moaned. "I'm going to get breakfast..." With that I walked away down towards the cafeteria. Rai cautiously followed.

After picking up some food I sat down and began to eat. However it was hard to eat when I noticed that Rai was glaring at me from across the room quickly eating his food and not letting a single action of mine escape his sight.

_This guy is getting irritating..._

"Who is?" Mewtwo telepathically asked me.

_Rai..._

"Ah he found out... then again with what happened to him..."

_Does this have to do with The Reaper?_

"Yes..." Mewtwo replied, even telepathically he sounded uneasy. "He was the first person from the outside world that he met... For a while the Reaper was like an older brother to him." I stared at Rai. "His real older brother, Tei and The Reaper were best friends and he was even dating his older sister Sui. To put it bluntly The Reaper was able to rip apart their family bonds almost effortlessly. It left quite the impression on Rai, being the first person from the 'real world' that he met and all. He thought that all people were like that."

_I see... that's why he is now hostile towards me..._

"If you're done with breakfast can you come down to the training room? Make sure Rai follows you..."

"That won't be all that hard..." I muttered underneath my breath. I finished eating my food even with Rai's uncomfortable glare looking at me. Eventually I stood up and began to walk away. Just as planned Rai stood up and followed shortly afterwards. Eventually I walked into the gym. Standing there waiting for me was Mewtwo, Young Link, Pichu, and Roy. "Why are you all here?" I quickly asked shocked.

"They are going to help you with your training now." Mewtwo said. "Where is Rai?"

"He's following me at a distance... He will probably be watching from a safe distance as well."

"We will continue from where we left off yesterday!" Mewtwo said charging a shadow ball.

I stood there shocked. "But you said that I would have a days of rest!" I shouted surprised.

"I lied." With that Mewtwo threw the shadow ball towards me with great speed. Quickly I jumped out of the way. "Draw your beam sword!" Roy and Young Link rushed towards me the only thing I could do was block with the beam sword. The Swords clashed, for a brief moment I questioned why mine wasn't cutting through theirs, but that moment was short lived by them over powering me and sending me flying backwards where Pichu and Mewtwo struck me with a shadow ball and thunder bolt. I fell to the ground and hit it with a thud. Slowly they all began to approach me. "Get up or I'll make you get up!" Mewtwo barked.

"No..." I muttered. The next thing I knew was that I was tossed thirty feet into the air and being held there.

"In this time Marth would have defeated you!" Mewtwo said.

"That's fine..." I replied. "I don't want to fight him."

"Fire..." Mewtwo ordered. Electricity surged through my body. Suddenly my arm could move and I sent the electricity back towards them causing Mewtwo to drop me. I plummeted towards the ground only to land perfectly on my feet suffering no damage from the shock.

_How did I do that?_

"How did he do that?" Pichu wondered.

"He deflected the electricity back towards us..." Mewtwo said looking at me. Mewtwo threw a shadow ball towards me, however I defended with the beam sword knocking it down to the ground. "Lets go all out!" They all rushed towards me.

"Stop!" Rai shouted at the door. His hand was sparking with electricity. "That wasn't how he did it. Your with the Reaper admit it!" With that he threw electricity towards me, I had no choice but to dodge, but I was too slow. I was hit and electricity surged through my body suddenly I moved my right arm up and electricity flew out of it towards Rai. At the last moment a barrier appeared around Rai stopping the attack. "You are with the Reaper!"

I was too busy staring at my right hand in shock to hear what Rai had said. Roy and Young Link were running towards me. Both attacked with the intention to kill. I just grabbed my beam sword and cut them both down in one attack. I faced Mewtwo. "What's going on?" I asked.

"You tell me." Mewtwo replied.

"I don't know what's going on!" I shouted flailing my arms around in the process. The next thing I knew was that electricity had shot out. I stared at my hand once again.

"Instead of electricity going through your body it seems like your body stored it up and your now capable of discharging it, though apparently not by your own free will... yet..." That yet that Mewtwo added at the end wasn't exactly reassuring and was most likely an all-inclusive trip to more hellish training.

It was.

The rest of my day consisted of dodging random attacks and storing up electricity in my body. Even when everyone else had collapsed due to exhaustion I was still able to keep going.

"What is this all about?" I asked. "I have the right to know, right?"

"Yes, you do." Mewtwo replied. "The reason we were so harsh on you today was not because of The Reaper, but because of..." Mewtwo was hesitating to say anything eventually he some how spat it out. "We are being kicked out of the Smashers."

"This decision was unfortunately decided by the Network." Roy said. "Our matches were the least watched and grabbed the least advertising money, even if Pichu's matches only got a couple million compared to upwards of 1 billion that a Marth VS Fox match can get. Greedy bastards that's what they are..."

"That and our track record isn't the best." Pichu laughed.

I stared at him wondering how he could laugh about something like that. "I see..." I said. "You want me to fight Marth and defeat him."

"Yeah." Mewtwo replied coolly.

I just smiled. "Why should I?" I replied. "I'm not fighting for you guys."

"Actually you are." Mewtwo replied. I stared in complete shock. "I made a bet with the higher-ups, if you win we get to stay."

_This can't end well._

"Your luck has all ready proven itself once before, hopefully we can rely on it once again." Mewtwo said. "Nothing is absolute, I remember you telling that to Tei right before Pichu's match..."

"Why do you bring that up now?"

"Do you forget so easily? I told you back then that I had all ready foreseen the end of the match. The match I saw Pichu lost. When the match first took a strange turn of events and began to change I looked over to you, you were there but at the same time you weren't. Your very presence altered destiny, for the past three days I have meditated heavily on this and I have come to the conclusion that you were never supposed to come here! My psychic power is now all a blur I can't see what the future brings."

I knew deep down that I didn't belong, but only being here for three and a half days made me feel something. Happiness. "When the Reaper first came here were your visions also like this?" I didn't know what had made me ask this question. Mewtwo was of course hesitant to answer. "I'll take that as a yes. Then I've decided that my role in life is to set right what The Reaper has done wrong and defeat him."

Mewtwo stared at me. It was silent. Eventually he broke the silence. "You have a large task ahead of you then." Suddenly he teleported us both out of the HQ and to someplace else. I knew not where I was; I only knew from the sight what it was previously. We stood on top of a ruined building all around us was a ruined city. "This is what The Reaper is capable of."

"But he is just one person."

"One person can change everything." Mewtwo replied. "You yourself have done this as well. Follow me." Mewtwo began to walk towards another building it had a wall however it had an engraving. "We can't read it, we can only assume that it's your native language." I stared at the writing on the wall. "It was written by The Reaper."

"But it's in English!" I said. "We are talking normally right?"

"No," Mewtwo replied. "We are using a form of magic to understand each other. We are actually talking two completely different languages. But you would have never noticed. Not even I knew until I was told. Now what does it say."

"You brought me here to read to you?" I asked. Mewtwo just nodded. I stared at the writing it was so neatly engraved into the stonewall.

"_To who ever is reading this, the world you see around you is nothing more than an illusion. This is our human desire for escape brought to true fruition. This is a world of ignorance, where ideals rest over reality. A world that is perfect, a utopia if you must. And for that it must be destroyed._" I read.

"Is that really what is says?" A new voice asked. Both Mewtwo and I jumped not expecting to see someone there.

"A Lucario." Mewtwo said looking at the strange blue creature.

"Yes it is." I replied looking at the letters once again.

"The person who wrote this told me to wait for a person to come here and was fully capable of reading it. For that he told me one phrase that was written there. _Where ideals rest over reality_, I was to wait and listen to anyone who said that. Many have come and tried to interpret it but none of them had said that key phrase. And when I found the person who could read this I was to join them. But I am hesitant to join you because your aura is strange much like his, the one who destroyed this city."

"I'm going to kill him." I replied. I didn't know where the sudden gusto had come from.

"Good luck." Lucario laughed.

"Your battle with The Reaper transcends two dimensions yours and ours." Mewtwo said. "And you only have 31 days left with the next six booked with training and a fight. Do you think you can do it?"

"I think I can find a way." I laughed uneasy about the situation. Was I going to die? No! In the back of my head I made the decision that after this battle I would look for a way out of this world and to return to my own. Not to mention face The Reaper. I was going to live through this. I knew I would, and clearly I have since I'm writing this... wow come to think of it that was one effective way to quickly kill any and all suspense that I may have just been established.

Rain began to pour down upon the ruins of the city. "We best return to the Smash HQ." he said. "Are you coming with us?"

"I will." Lucario said.

With that we teleported back to the Smash HQ. We appeared in the lobby startling no one. "You can go where ever you want now." Mewtwo said. "The day is almost over."

I began to wander and eventually found my way back to the cafeteria. Having not eaten since breakfast I instantly grabbed a plate and began to get several different foods. After getting a seat I began to devour the food. It wasn't long after that I seemed to feel somebody looming over me. I turned my head slightly and out of the corner of my eye I saw Rai standing there struggling, only being kept there by his older brother Tei. "What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm here to profess my inexplicable undying love to you." Tei sarcastically said. Quickly I spat out whatever I was drinking at that exact moment. Most likely it was just plain water.

"WHAT?" I said shocked.

"Well it seems that only stories with Yaoi get lots of reviews. But in all seriousness I came here so that Rai could apologize to you."

I looked over to Rai, he didn't make eye contact and just stared at something that was apparently 100 times more interesting on the wall. "I'm sorry." He said. It wasn't filled with any emotion or sincerity but it was probably going to be the best that he was going to give me.

"About what?" I inquired.

Rai didn't answer. In fact now it seemed like he was struggling even harder just to try and escape. Eventually Tei let go of him and Rai ran away. Tei quickly sat on the other end of the table. "I'm sorry about the trouble Rai has caused."

"I understand why he would hate me." I said looking at him. He seemed to have a vacant look. "Mewtwo showed me the city that the Reaper destroyed."

"Yes..." Tei said. "When you're done, I would like to talk to you."

I finished eating and Tei began to lead me to his room. Eventually when we got there he opened the door and directed me to a couch in the middle of the room while he went off to the fridge. I sat down and looked at a table that was in front of me. There was some old newspapers on the table, most of them revolving around the Reaper. When he came back he had two mugs with a liquid in it. He sat in a chair directly across from me.

"Rai talked to us." Tei said giving me a drink, I quickly took a sip but immediately spit it out.

"What the hell is this crap?" I asked.

"Beer." Tei replied. "It will kill ya."

"Some how I doubt that..." For a brief moment I seemed to remember something in the back of my head. "Should you really be drinking that? Aren't you underage?"

"In this world? No, besides this isn't even called beer here, it's called 'apple cider' or some other stupid censoring thing for children... In yours? Most likely. But I doubt that seriously matters in today's society. The sad reality is, you are only underage if you are caught."

"That doesn't change the fact that you are underage!" I protested. But my protest fell on deaf ears.

"You have to live on the edge... abiding by the rules is a rather boring lifestyle, don't you agree?"

"Yes, but it is at least safe!"

Tei finally took the cup of beer from my hand and began to down it. When he was done he gently placed the glass down and stared at me. "Rules do not guarantee safety. Take beer for instance. One shouldn't drive under the influence. Yet people still do it. The one who didn't drive under the influence is in just as much danger as the one who is. As long as people have free will they will continue to choose. And as long as they continue to choose they may some times pick the right answer and other times pick the wrong answer." He was silent and quickly walked towards the fridge and opened it. He came back with a bottle and handed it to me. I took it and drank it. It was a lot sweeter than the beer and I continued to drink. "What have you picked?"

I was silent looking down at the floor. "It almost feels as though I have no choice in my life. I have thirty-one more days to live; I've been forced into a match against Marth. It feels like I can't choose my own path, my own way, in life..."

"The Reaper felt the same way..." Tei said leaning back on the chair and placing his feet up on the table. "A daily cycle of wake up, eat, go to school, come home, do homework, and go back to sleep, with very little variation or change. At least that's what he was like when he first came here. In a lot of ways you remind me of him. Just promise me one thing. Don't make the wrong choice like he did!"

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

Tei just sat there. "The Reaper..." He replied. "I made a mistake, I once had the chance to stop him. I thought he could change but..."

To be continued...


	6. Day 5: Shield

Day 5: Shield

I woke up. My head was pounding. My eyes hurt. My mouth was dry.

_What the hell did I do last night?_

"You're finally awake!" Mewtwo said to me telepathically. Suddenly I grabbed my head. It was jolting out in pain.

_Stop it..._

"Stop what?" Mewtwo asked. I cringed in pain.

_Stop talking to me telepathically... Come and talk to me face to face..._

"Do you have a hangover?"

_How should I know? Just talk to me face to face!_

Mewtwo teleported into the room. I hadn't moved much from the bed besides squirming around in a large amount of pain. Mewtwo just looked at me. "Do you have a hangover?"

"What are the symptoms?" I questioned forgetting what a hangover was due to this amnesia.

Mewtwo stared blankly at me for a brief second. "How about I ask a simpler question. Do you remember what you did yesterday?"

"Well I got scanned, learned that my time was even more limited than I previously thought, Rai thought I was with the Reaper, you showed me the ruined city..."

"At the end of the day..." Mewtwo sighed.

I suddenly realized I didn't know what happened. "Ah well it probably wasn't anything important if I can't remember it." I said.

We walked down to the cafeteria where we ate breakfast. After that Mewtwo instantly brought me to a training room.

"What are we doing today?" I asked.

"Well I guess shielding. Attacking also makes you vulnerable to attacks from your opponent so what do you do?" Mewtwo asked.

"Don't jump into the rape?" I suggested.

Mewtwo just groaned. "You shield."

_Well duh... you only said that before the question..._

"So how do I shield?"

"Its a rather complex method that people have yet to fully understand." Mewtwo explained. "But I will explain the theory behind it."

"Okay... this sounds rather boring..."

"Okay the theory behind shielding is that your body emits an aura or energy that takes a physical form." Mewtwo explained complete with crappy diagrams. "You have to shape that aura and or energy into a sphere so that it blocks an attack. Doing it out here is rather difficult. However when you have your adrenalin pumping it becomes rather easy."

"Okay what else should I know?"

"Well you can control the density of the shield, for instance having a thicker shield will disappear faster however having a thinner shield will last longer when idle but break quicker from attacks. Not to mention that the Shield only covers up as much that it surrounds. If your head is exposed the shield won't do much good to attacks there." Mewtwo explained further. "Really it all sounds complicated but no one pays attention to the theory. You really have to do it to understand it."

"So what do I have to do activate my shield?"

Mewtwo shifted his stance so that it looked like he was in a defensive stance. "The first step is to be in a stance that is rather defensive."

_Makes sense._

I followed Mewtwo's example. Placing my right arm in front of my body. Mewtwo looked at it. "Your legs have to be sturdier." He said placing his hand on my bicep. The next moment he lightly pushed me and I fell down towards the ground. "Change your center of gravity." I began to change my stances however Mewtwo continued to push me down time and time again. Eventually I found a stance that Mewtwo approved of. "Good that was the easy part. Now comes the challenging part. Your body naturally lets off an aura, however you have to shape that aura into a solid form."

"How can I do that?" I asked.

"Well we Smashers have years of training just to do this at will... In order for you to be able to do it we would have to stream line that process a bit. Lucario will help you with that."

"Why him?"

"Lucario is the aura Pokemon." Mewtwo explained. "If anyone should know how to help you it should be him. There is just one problem."

_This can't be good..._

"The streamlined process creates a very different shield, instead of creating a perfect sphere like our shields it creates a flat wall in front of you. It still has the same rules applied to it. But that means that your back is vulnerable."

"That should be fine." I said. "Since Marth is a swordsman I should always be able to see him..."

Mewtwo just nodded. He told me to wait there while he went and got Lucario. A few minutes later he came back. Lucario was rather reluctant to train me but Mewtwo reassured him that it would be okay. The streamlined process of shielding Mewtwo showed me. Essentially I had to use my arms to move my aura in front of me. The only problem was the first time that it took to get visual results, it took ten minutes.

"That seems normal for a human." Lucario said. "If we had some method of extracting your aura faster or opening the gates."

"Gates?" I questioned.

"Aura is much like, for lack of a better term, sweat. Like sweat it comes out of the pores of your body." Mewtwo explained. "Also like sweat the place that the aura comes out the most is the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet."

"I can stretch out those pores, called gates, using aura." Lucario said grabbing my hand. A blue flame appeared around Lucario and it went onto my hand, I could feel a light pressure on it. When Lucario pulled his paws away my hand was glowing with the blue flame. Lucario then grabbed the other hand and did the same thing. "There is just one small problem. Unless you are able to control your aura you will eventually run out."

"Okay this is bad how?" I asked.

"Aura has several different names such as: wave, but perhaps the most important name is life-force, if you run out you die." Mewtwo explained.

I stared at them in complete shock that they didn't mention something so vitally important to my life sooner.

"Don't worry." Mewtwo said throwing a pair of black leather gloves. "Put them on and you can use them to help control your Aura." I did so. I could feel the aura being held in the glove. "Now then you can't take them off until you learn to control the Aura. You have to try and force the aura out of the gloves and stop the aura flow."

"Okay..." I closed my eyes and tried to relax. Mewtwo and Lucario weren't giving me any hints on how to control my aura. I did everything that seemed to come to mind, breathing in, breathing out, and punching the air. But none of it seemed to work.

_Damn it how can I shield?!_

I tried to envision myself in that blackness, the same blackness that I was in when I was controlling Pichu. But not even that helped. After about an hour of trying different things and giving up I looked at Mewtwo. "Can't you tell me how to do this?"

"No." Mewtwo replied. "It is something you have to figure out on your own."

I went back to trying to manipulate my aura. I could see that both Mewtwo and Lucario were getting quite a bit of entertainment from all of the methods I tired. Eventually they stopped me and gave me several drinks to help restore my energy and calm me down. I tried to think about it. The way they were talking was that releasing Aura was an involuntary process that could be mastered. I looked at the gloves. My guess was that they were specifically made for suppressing Aura. I held both of my hands in front of me. They were parallel to each other and I tried to envision an aura sphere in the direct center. Eventually I began to breath rather slowly trying to relax. Eventually a sphere of aura appeared.

Mewtwo smiled, this distracted me causing the aura sphere to explode. I went flying backwards but quickly landed on my feet.

"Good you've figured it out." Mewtwo said. "The easiest way to control Aura requires the body and the mind to be perfectly calm. You can't be anxious otherwise it could be disastrous."

"Just one question." I asked. "How did it explode?"

"Everything explodes." Mewtwo replied. I glared at him wishing for a more satisfactory answer. "Aura itself is unstable. When you lost concentration and were no longer sustaining the form it was in and exploded. Now you have to stop your aura from coming out of your body."

This time I didn't even know where to start. Turning off my own aura seemed like such a daunting task. Once again I tried to remain calm. It seemed to work as both Lucario and Mewtwo were nodding their heads in agreement.

"Excellent!" Mewtwo said impressed. "Now then you just need to do switch from focusing your aura in front of you and turning it off completely until it becomes second nature and can do it with different emotions boiling up inside of you. So do each about a thousand times."

I didn't complain despite the high amount of I had to do of the exercise. Instead of becoming easier as time passed it seemed to be getting harder. I was getting more and more exhausted. Aura after all is your own energy so it would make sense for one to become tired while doing this along with any other exercise. Somewhere near five hundred Mewtwo stopped me for lunch. I had to go to the washroom due to the drinks that I had earlier. It was then I noticed how much of a toll repeatedly using my aura was taking on me. Every step I seemed to falter. Even opening the door to the washroom seemed like a chore. After finishing my business and washing my hands I exited the washroom and made my way down to the cafeteria.

I was swaying back and forth. Those who passed me in the hall way must have thought I was drunk. Eventually I sat down at a table, too tired to even get up and get the food. Mewtwo came to me bringing an extra plate filled with mostly vegetables.

"When this training is over your aura will be completely depleted." Mewtwo explained.

_But my aura is my life force... I'll die…_

I was too tired to even speak. "Yes and no. You will collapse due to exhaustion before you deplete that amount of aura to kill you. Your body will then create more aura and you should be able to hold more than before."

_Is this really going to work?_

"I have no idea, but even the streamlined process of shielding takes about a week to master. Now then open your mouth for the airplane."

I looked up and Mewtwo was lifting up a spoon full of vegetables using his psychic powers and floating it in front of me. Had I had the energy I probably would have given him the finger.

_Don't treat me like a kid..._

"Look the vegetables are filled with nutrients that will help replenish your energy."

_I know that..._

I opened my mouth and the spoon went in. I quickly closed my mouth, and the spoon came out. "Now chew..." Mewtwo ordered.

* * *

I was back in the training room, still exhausted. Mewtwo ordered me to continue. Each time it was becoming harder and harder to use my aura. This time the aura exploded a lot more often each time Mewtwo would add on another ten or twenty times that I would have to do these exercises.

Around eight hundred the Manager came down to see me. I was lying on the floor exhausted. Mewtwo constantly ordering me to get up and finish the remaining two hundred exercises plus whatever I had accumulated at that point in time (which was probably another thousand).

"Hello Manager." Mewtwo said. "What brings you here to our end of the neighborhood?"

"Nothing really." The Manager replied. "I just wanted to know what all of the explosions were that I have been hearing before I leave for the weekend."

"I'm teaching him how to manipulate his aura." Lucario explained.

_Liar, liar, liar_

"I think it's about time we get onto shielding..." Mewtwo said.

"Well just don't kill him." The Manager said walking out of the room. "I'm looking forwards to the match."

"Don't worry, he will be fine!" Mewtwo smiled.

_Lies, lies, lies you sadist!_

Mewtwo moved his hand and I floated up into the air.

"Part two of the theory." Mewtwo said. "The longer you have your shield out the weaker it becomes, however when you rest it the stronger it becomes. There is however a natural cap to how big it can be. Your aura can only be projected about two feet away from your body until you lose control of it. Now then create a shield."

I focused my aura in front of me. It became a sphere but now there had to be something else done. I tried moving my arms and making the aura into a wall. Mewtwo threw a shadow ball at it and it shattered instantly. "That's good for a beginner..."

Mewtwo made me create more and more shields eventually I was getting the hang of making one quickly. And finally I was able to make a shield that was high enough quality to block Mewtwo's shadow ball. Mewtwo smiled impressed.

"Well," Mewtwo sighed. "Now that you have the basics of shielding down, its time for some practice." with that Mewtwo pulled out a bazooka from absolutely nowhere. "Now then if you don't shield you will die. If you are able to activate your shield at the right time it will be reflected back at me."

"Wait!" I shouted suddenly finding the energy to do it. "Is this _really_ necessary?"

"No," Mewtwo replied. I breathed a sigh of relief. "But I've always wanted to do it." I stared as I realized that Mewtwo was 100% serious and was still going to attack. I knew I didn't have enough strength to block the explosion from the bazooka with a shield. And I didn't have enough strength to run away.

Mewtwo fired and I tried to create the shield but my legs collapsed and I fell on the ground. The bazooka shell just went over me and collided with the wall. It didn't explode revealing it to be a dud.

"I'd say that is enough for today." Mewtwo said. Mewtwo just teleported us to the cafeteria where we proceeded to eat dinner. It was rather late probably eight or nine pm at this point. My whole body was sore and I had great difficulty even eating. "I'd say that you progressed quite well."

I looked up at Mewtwo.

"Well you will be happy to know that tomorrow we will just be relaxing so you can regain all of the aura that you lost today. But even relaxing can be training..."

I seemed to remember smiling. He handed me a Maxim Tomato and I felt a small portion of my energy come back.

"There is one more thing about aura." Mewtwo said calmly. "You can use it to defy gravity and double jump in the air."

"How do I do that?" I muttered.

"You focus the aura to your feet, then create an explosion to propel yourself upwards. And visually it creates a ripple in the air."

When we finished the meal Mewtwo helped me up and we began towards my room. Mewtwo made me climb every single step. And with every single step I cursed at him in my head so that I knew full well he would hear me. Twenty something floors later we stopped and walked towards an elevator that took us up to the 30th floor.

I entered my room and stumbled towards my bed. I then collapsed.

With how exhausted I was I should have fallen asleep right away. But I didn't...

To be continued...

* * *

**Fun facts: **

**The actual reason why the main character doesn't know what happened at the end of the previous day was because this was actually written before the previous chapter was finished, so there was no end to the previous day... Ironically I did eventually decide on the whole drinking/hangover...**

**"Don't jump into the rape." was an actual suggestion from a 'pro' SSBM player in an interview. He/she used it to explain that people always look at the final hit as the ones that KO them, not the little ones that build up their percentage. (I think the interview was on Wifi-wars, which I think was created by the same people who created Smashboards)**

**Aura in japanese is called Hado (Translated directly it means 'wave')**

**Not so fun fact that I probably would only care about:**

**The chapters are getting smaller...**


	7. Day 6: Relaxation

Day 6: Relaxation

I was unable to sleep, despite how tired I was. Constantly I tossed and turned in bed, I felt as though I was doing something wrong, that I normally did something else. Slowly I got up and walked outside to the balcony where a cool breeze greeted me. My bare feet touched the cold snow. After getting a bit of fresh air I went back and sat on the bed. Breathing in and out continuously releasing and sealing off my Aura. It wasn't very long until I fell unconscious due to exhaustion.

* * *

I woke up. Looking over to the side I saw the time.

10:17

The alarm had been ringing for a while, though I never heard it. I was probably too exhausted to even bother turning it off. Slowly I got out of bed and then collapsed a moment later. Every single muscle in my body ached and pained. I didn't want to move.

"So you're up." Mewtwo said teleporting into the room.

"Sort of..." I muttered on the floor.

"Figures." Mewtwo said looking down at me. "Intensive Aura training can do this. Since Aura requires drawing energy from your body. It will take at most a day for your body to replenish all of the Aura you lost."

"I guess I can't train today." I said. "So what are you going to do?"

"Relax is what's on my schedule. Starting with you walking down to the cafeteria."

"I hate you..."

"Deep down you will be thanking me for doing this."

_I sincerely doubt that._

"Just think four more days until your fight."

_Which I am having very little difficulty in remembering that it was you who got me in this situation to begin with_.

"Then I'm sure you can do what ever you please until the day you die!"

_Go die..._

"Have you forgotten that I can read your mind?"

_No it just is currently taking too much effort to talk right now..._

"Sure it is... Well I'm sure you would like something to eat. You just have to go get it yourself."

"I might as well just kill you all right now and go join the Reaper..." I grumbled.

"If I didn't know you were joking I would have no choice but to kill you right now." Mewtwo said. "Next time don't say such words. In any case I'll be in the cafeteria until you come down..."

With that Mewtwo teleported away. I just lied there for a while. Each time I tried to move a sharp pain jolted through me. Eventually I crawled to the bathroom and started up the bath. After relaxing in the hot water for a while I got out. My body was feeling slightly better. It still pained with every step I took but it was at least a lot more bearable this time. After getting dressed I began to walk to the cafeteria. The hallways were empty. Normally I would pass a Smasher or two but this time no one was in the halls.

Even when I got to the cafeteria it was strangely empty. Only Mewtwo sat at a table. Slowly I walked over. "What happened? Where is everybody?"

"Its the weekend." Mewtwo said. "Saturday, December 8th, 2007. Mostly everyone is out Christmas shopping, with Christmas being only 17 days away and all."

"What about you?" I wondered.

"I don't really care for holidays." Mewtwo said. "Never really have, never will. Specifically holidays that have lost all meaning are now just based around the materialism of the world."

It came to my realization that Mewtwo's likes were few and far between. He wasn't a very easy person to get along with, as at times it seemed like he was trying to kill me. I went in to get some food. A moment later I came out with a plate full. Mewtwo just shot me a glare looking at the various different food items I had picked up. "I will never understand you eat some of that crap." Mewtwo muttered.

"We just have different tastes." I said.

"Taste has nothing to do with it." Mewtwo handed me a card. On it was a picture of me. "I filled out your information for the battle with Marth. I had a small bit of trouble with a few parts so I just improvised."

I looked at the various fields required on the card. One of the first ones was name which Mewtwo had filled out as "Nugai". The next one was first appearance which Mewtwo had filled out as "Kakuto-Geemu Ryuoh (Dragon King: The Fighting Game) (N64) (Japan Only)"

"What is this?" I questioned.

"Your identification card, you need it to fight."

"Do they normally contain this much bullshit?"

"No, take mine for example: Name: Mewtwo, First appearance: Pokemon Red and Green."

I returned to eating the food. Occasionally I would glance up at Mewtwo who was in deep thought. "Are you done eating?" He asked. "Because you have to train."

"I thought you said were relaxing today!" I protested.

"Relaxing can also be a form of training." Mewtwo explained. "It depends on how you relax."

I finished up my food and Mewtwo stood up. He began to lead me to a part of the Smash HQ that I hadn't been to before. Eventually he brought me to an out door pool. Both Bowser and a Charzard were breathing fire onto the water.

"Water is one of the few natural substances that can suppress Aura." Mewtwo explained. "I'm sure you noticed this when you were taking your bath today. As you swim in here your Aura will build up in your body."

"Okay just let me get this straight." I said assessing the situation. "First you want me to swim in this water, which is outside, in winter. It is quite possibly below zero. I may catch hypothermia..."

"You will be fine. Bowser and Charizard have been heating this water for a few hours. Not to mention we used a Moltres and Entei to really heat it up, and the normal heating system."

"But shouldn't I change into something else."

"No." Mewtwo said pushing me in.

He was right. The water was warm. Naturally I didn't want to get out due to the cold bitter wind. "Okay so what should I do?"

"The breaststroke?" Mewtwo suggested. I rolled my eyes and looked up. "Just move around in the water." I began to do so, but I noticed that it was a lot harder to do than moving around in water normally was. "I've added a special chemical in the pool. It makes the water hard to move if you aren't exerting Aura. And with the normal suppressing properties of water it will be a lot harder to move. Not to mention your clothing and weights will drag you down."

"This is your idea of relaxing?" I questioned angrily. "You're trying to kill me again!"

"Don't worry I have full confidence that you will survive." Mewtwo said. "Besides if you can release your Aura you should be able to move the water out of the way and move around normally."

"This is crazy!" I said.

"There is also one other thing that you should probably know..." Mewtwo said. "If you don't get out all of the Aura that is built up due to natural suppression will cause your body to expand and you will..."

"I'll explode!" I finished off the sentence for Mewtwo more or less a bit pissed off.

"I never said that." Mewtwo said. "With your current lack of Aura it would take at least two weeks of constant swimming before you exceeded your normal Aura to a hazardous point. The normal human can take up to ten times of their regular Aura in their body. Most of the time Aura is dispersed and created at an equal rate. However since you have lost a great deal of Aura your body is making it at double of what it usually would. We are using this method in order to stock pile some Aura."

"This sounds needlessly complicated." I muttered. "Since when does this come up in the real world?"

Mewtwo quickly began to talk to me telepathically so that Bowser and Charzard wouldn't hear us.

"_Let me remind you that currently your 'real world' is more or less a videogame and nearly everything that an NPC says in a videogame more or less does become helpful! This isn't math!"_

_Only if you didn't read the manual..._

Mewtwo threw in a shadow ball and suddenly the water became impossible to move around in. "Now then the only way to move in the water is to use your Aura. Otherwise you are pretty much just stuck in rock. Also Bowser and Charzard will stop heating the water so it will freeze if you aren't fast enough."

"You really are trying to kill me..." I muttered.

"But that should take a few hours at most."

_I know you want me dead... it was what I said this morning right?_

"In any case I will enjoy watching you squirm."

_Bloody sadist_

Mewtwo had all ready given me the hints that I needed. Aura would be capable of cutting through the solid water. I would just have to some how be able to harness my Aura and make it cut through the water. Knowing that was the easy part. So far I had only mastered using Aura through my hands. Letting Aura go around my whole body would be much harder. Not to mention I was most likely all ready nearly fully depleted on Aura to start with. The little that my body had made I doubt would prove to be effective.

I focused the Aura around my hands and I was able to move them. I started by wiggling my fingers and eventually closing my hand to make a fist. My speed for drawing out Aura had greatly improved over yesterday. Not that it really mattered. I tried to imagine the Aura crawling from my hands to my wrist and up my arms. But that wasn't effective. It was also very hard trying to concentrate when all of my clothing was wet. It took me a while but I began to focus my Aura at both my feet and hands simultaneously. For the first time I realized how weird it was. I was exerting my Aura so much it felt like my hands and feet had fallen asleep. Eventually I was able to release my Aura from my legs and arms. By the time I had managed that it seemed that I was still for so long they were stiff.

The water was now getting colder. It would only be a matter of time before I was free or frozen. Somewhere deep down inside I began to panic. Something that I shouldn't have done since I lost my concentration and with it my Aura. I was now stuck in the water unable to move. And above all else I felt cold and exhausted. Almost as if on cue Marth appeared to mock me.

"I see, so that's what you're doing Mewtwo." Marth laughed.

"Aren't you a bit worried?" Mewtwo asked Marth.

"I'm worried about him becoming a human Popsicle if that's what you mean. I want to get my honor back."

_Is losing to Pichu that humiliating that you have to bitch and whine about it endlessly?_

"I was referring to him gaining power."

"No, not at all." Marth replied. He had no fear in his voice. "Its one thing if you have power. Its a completely different thing for you to be able to control it properly."

I realized that Marth was right, and even if I was able to control my Aura I still wouldn't be able to defeat him just by defending. With that Marth just walked away.

"Don't worry." Mewtwo said. "You can throw a punch and that's really all it takes. I'm sure you can win. Besides Marth has a weakness, his pride."

After that we got back to work. It wasn't long before I was suddenly able to move. I just began to swim a few laps not wanting to get out. The water was still warm and the air was so cold. Eventually I just began to float on my back.

I just floated there. All my worries just seemed to drift away.

_I could stay in here forever..._

"Okay he is getting too relaxed." Mewtwo said. "Bowser jump into the pool."

"But I can't swim!" Bowser protested.

"That wasn't a suggestion." Mewtwo just waved his hand and Bowser floated up into the air, the next moment he was thrown into the pool nearly hitting me.

Bowser began to flail around. "Help!" He cried. "I'm going to drown!"

"Bowser... just stand up..." Mewtwo sighed. "You know for someone based off of a mythical water creature, I was thinking you were able to swim..."

"Wait how is Bowser able to move around freely?" I asked.

"This gel only works on those with a certain body heat. Bowser has a lot higher body heat than you. It quickly melts the gel that stops you from moving." Mewtwo explained.

We both got out of the pool. Soon the cold bitter wind hit me. "Next. Before we go in create a barrier."

Wanting to get inside really quickly I created a barrier in front of myself. "Make it bigger." Mewtwo ordered. "Make it so that it protects us all from the wind."

I did so. It took a while but I eventually created a flat barrier that was capable of blocking the wind. With that we went inside. I was so cold. I was shivering nearly uncontrollably. "You might have noticed it but Aura gives off a warm feeling." Mewtwo said. "Use it to warm up your body."

"I thought you said I was going to relax. But all I've been doing is dispersing more and more Aura!" I protested.

"That's true." Mewtwo said. "However I've been testing your container. The capacity that your body has to store Aura. Its just average."

I didn't notice but Mewtwo was leading me up to my room on the thirtieth floor. I looked around in shock. "You should spend the rest of the day sleeping. Aura refills the fastest during sleep."

"So what was the purpose of today?" I asked Mewtwo.

"It was to simply have you to exhaust your Aura once again and then relax in order to draw out your hidden powers." Mewtwo replied.

"I'm not buying that."

"Training will start first thing in the morning tomorrow. You only have three more days of training and then the match. Feeling nervous?"

"Not really..."

"Perhaps you should..." Mewtwo said. "Marth will hold nothing back..."

I entered my room and made myself a hot chocolate. After drinking it I went to bed and began to sleep the rest of the day away.

To be continued...

* * *

**Fun facts:**

**Nugai (pronounced 'New Guy') is actually what a member of the pokemon fandom (at bulbagarden) called Shinji/Paul before he was given an official name and just shown off in the official art work.**

**"Kakuto-Geemu Ryuoh" (Dragon King: The Fighting Game) Those who read Iwata Asks for SSBB should know that this was the first name for SSB before the whole adding in Nintendo characters.**


	8. Day 7: Lucario

Day 7: Lucario

I opened my eyes looking up at the ceiling. It was boring and plain except for Lucario who was hanging off of it.

_Wait Lucario?_

"You're awake!" Lucario said dropping, quickly I rolled away and dropped onto the floor. Lucario hit the bed with a powerful punch. Normally what took me a good fifteen minutes of waking up had been accomplished in all of five seconds.

"What's the meaning of this?!" I shouted surprised. Lucario however didn't explain and just rushed towards me. Lucario threw a punch that I quickly rolled out of the way for however he followed it up with an all ready charged aura sphere. This attack I had no choice but to block. "Can we at least take this outside?"

"No!" Lucario replied. "You will die here!"

I threw a punch however Lucario quickly disappeared and appeared behind me knocking me into a wall. I turned around and leaned against the wall. Lucario walked towards me and eventually put his hand on my stomach. The next moment he used force palm. I screamed out in pain. The wall behind me had been cracked. I had been winded and fell on the ground grabbing my stomach. Most likely he had broken a few ribs with that shot.

"Get up!" Lucario ordered.

He was serious about this. "Why are you doing this?"

"I will not allow another tragedy to happen!" Lucario shouted.

"Computer open balcony door." I ordered. Looking up I saw the sliding balcony door opening.

I lunged at him catching him off guard. However I quickly realized that this was a bad idea due the spike in his chest impaling me. I could feel the intense pain. Quickly my arms reached around him and squeezed him

"Let go of me!" Lucario said.

"No," I cried in great pain.

"Then I'll make you let go of me!" Lucario said. The next moment he bit my arm causing me to scream out in pain. "What are you? A masochist?"

"No." I replied not really enjoying any of this pain. "Though I have probably been told that I'm a little bit crazy at times." We had reached the balcony and Lucario quickly realized what I was going to do.

"You're crazy!"

Still holding on to him, we fell over the balcony's railing plummeting to our simultaneous death. I blacked out.

* * *

I had awoken in the hospital wing. I felt no pain in my body, most likely because I was heavily sedated with about fifty different drugs. Dr. Mario was holding a board and writing something down on a piece of paper. "You're crazy you know that." He said to me.

"Yeah." I replied.

"I will never agree with Mewtwo's methods." I looked at him confused. "Sure he may enjoy watching everyone hurt themselves, the sadist, but who is it healing everything? Me."

It was just then I realized what Mewtwo meant by "training would start first thing in the morning." It relived me greatly that Lucario hadn't decided on killing me there.

"How long have I been out for?" I asked.

"Nearly all day its now 8 pm."

"How did we survive the fall?"

Dr. Mario stared at me. "Mewtwo was watching the whole thing and was ultimately unable to react due to shock. Lucario began to burn his aura to slow your decent. While it wasn't enough to stop you from breaking nearly every single bone in your body it was enough to stop your death. As for Lucario once you lost consciousness, he was able to be freed from your grip and escape nearly unharmed. Anyways you have some guests."

For a brief moment I wondered who was here to see me. Dr. Mario only allowed four guests in at a time. Nearly every single Smasher came in to see if I was okay. I later found out that we had fallen past a few of their windows and that's how they knew. From there news spread like wildfire. That and the fresh blanket of snow had been greatly displaced by Lucario's aura, and we had also apparently totaled Fox's Landmaster.

The Smasher who surprised me the most to come see me was none other than Marth. He only said 8 encouraging words before walking out. "Don't die before I get to fight you."

"Marth!" I called out to him. He stopped and faced me. "Same goes to you!"

The last one to come in was Mewtwo. He came in alone and only when nobody else was in the room. He stood in front of me. I felt anger boiling inside of me. "I'm sorry." Mewtwo apologized. "It was a stupid idea for arranging this training. Once again you have proven to me that you have the ability to change my foreseen future."

I didn't reply. I didn't need to, with that Mewtwo just walked away.

Dr. Mario reentered the room. "We might not always get along." He said. "But you would be hard pressed to find a better group of friends. You will be staying here tonight; the drugs will knock you back out. There is also one other thing..." Dr. Mario held up a black cat. "Is this yours?"

"Yeah..." I replied looking at Chocolate.

"He was stealing food from the kitchen. Not to mention terrorizing Pikachu and Pichu."

"Dr. Mario, do animals degrade like humans here?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Chocolate is all I have from my previous life, he is all I know."

"You're lucky then." Dr. Mario said. "Animals don't degrade." I felt relief that I wouldn't see Chocolate die in front of me. "Unfortunately for you I don't allow animals into my hospital. They ruin the cleanliness." He swiftly threw Chocolate out of the open doors. "The only reason he got in here is because I got fed up with his meowing. I've sent somebody to get you some food, then after you eat you will go back to sleep." with that Dr. Mario walked out of the room.

A while later Princess Peach entered the room. She had a tray of food and placed it in front of me. "Sorry, I didn't know what you liked." She said. "So I just got a bit of everything."

"Thank you." I replied.

I ate the food. It seemed a lot more delicious than normal. Perhaps because this was the first time all day that I had eaten and that the drugs had taken a toll on me. When done I placed the tray aside and fell asleep.

To be continued...

* * *

**Short chapter I know... Don't expect a large chapter to make up for this...**


	9. Day 8: Wii Fit

**Little by little I continue to write… Every now and then I open up this file and type... Will I finish this? It seems to be a pipe dream, but still I go on. **

**

* * *

**Day 8: The hardest day of training EVER: Wii Fit

I slept quite well that night. A lot better than the other days I had been here; it most likely had to do with the various drugs that were pumped into me during the previous day. If I didn't know better that I was only asleep for a day, I could have sworn that I had slept for a year. I woke up extra early, 6:15 AM.

My chest hurt, it felt like I had been stabbed there.

_Wait..._

Everything was coming back to me. I looked around the room, this certainly wasn't mine.

_Crap..._

Everything was white and sterile.

Every small move I made sent my chest into a searing pain. I could only guess that all of the drugs had worn off. "It hurts..." I moaned. Slowly I got up. I exited the room, every single step was punctuated with a brief "ow."

I made my way though the hallways. Perhaps, I eventually got used to the pain, as it seemed to die down. I looked around, hoping to find Dr. Mario's office.

_It's only six something in the morning, he won't be there. Go back to the bed and relax until he comes to get you..._

It seemed like a good idea, there was just one small problem. I forgot where the bed was. I was so distracted by the pain that I didn't pay attention to where I was going. In fact, I didn't even know where Dr. Mario's office was. My foot suddenly hit something cold and metal. I knocked whatever I hit down the hallway. Two things occurred to me, the first, was that I just realized that I was walking barefoot in a hospital. The second, whatever I hit really freakin' hurt!

I tried to hold back screams of pain, and was mostly successful. What came out was just muffled cries. I began to hit my hand against the wall, hoping that I would transfer some of my pain to it. I sat down, and leaned against the wall, and quickly tried to figure out what I hit. Off in the distance I could see a strange light flickering around. It seemed like a firefly. Cautiously I approached.

"Chibi-Robo!" A voice cried out. "Are you okay, Chibi-Robo?"

"Telly Vision?" I questioned.

The flying television turned towards me. "You again!" He said rather outraged. "Look at what you did to Chibi-Robo!"

I glanced down and saw Chibi-Robo wrapped in bandages, a sling and a cast.

_Where did he get those? Well, I guess we are in the hospital wing... but still I only hit him a few minutes ago..._

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "You see, I don't know where I'm going and it doesn't help that it's so dark. Can you lead me out of the hospital wing?"

Out of Chibi-Robo's head popped a sign with a circle on it. I stared at Chibi-Robo puzzled as it began to walk away. Slowly, I followed. This time making sure that I didn't kick him across the hallway again. I'm sure next time, a simple apology wouldn't work. Telly Vision just sat on my shoulder, the light it emitted only lit up a bit of the hospital wing, but enough to cast shadows. I didn't like it, the shadows constantly felt like they were hiding something, or were constantly trying to grab me.

_Hey, grow up! What is this juvenile fear of the dark for, nothing won't suddenly jump out of the shadows and attack us!_

Suddenly, something pounced from the shadows and tackled Chibi-Robo down to the ground.

_Note to self: Next time, don't think. Just keep walking._

Telly Vision just began to frantically fly around Chibi-Robo's attacker. A black cat. "Chocolate!" I said, picking him up. Chocolate however held Chibi-Robo's cable in his mouth.

"Chibi-Robo! Chibi-Robo!" Telly Vision shouted out. "Tell that beast to release Chibi-Robo!"

"Okay Chocolate, you can let go of him now." I said. Surprisingly, Chocolate dropped Chibi-Robo. The next second he jumped out of my hands and ran off into the hospital wing. Quickly I grabbed Chibi-Robo, before Chocolate decided to attack again. "I'm sorry about that. How about this time I carry you, and you lead me out of here." Once again the sign with a circle on it popped out of Chibi-Robo's head. I began to walk through the hallways, following Telly Vision and Chibi-Robo's directions. Eventually, we saw a light on in the dark hallways. With out thinking I began to run towards the room with the light.

I entered the room uninvited and looked around. There was no mistaking it, this place was Dr. Mario's office. "Ahem." someone coughed. I looked down at a desk, sitting there was Dr. Mario. He had a stern look. "Please refrain from suddenly running into my room, I nearly needed to see a doctor."

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized, boy I sure seem to be doing a lot of that today. "But, I just got lost and was excited to see the light. Can I be dismissed from the hospital wing now?"

"All right..." Dr. Mario said. "I've all ready billed your account. You are now free to go."

I remembered the small fortune that I had obtained on gambling. I figured everyone wanted a piece of that money.

"Isn't there such a thing as free health care?" I asked.

"Not here." Dr. Mario replied. "I have to be able to make a living."

"How much is the bill?" I asked.

Dr. Mario looked up from his desk giving me a 'you really don't want to know look.' He then handed me the bill

_$10 000? WHAT THE HELL? _

He seemed to notice my reaction. "The cost of all of the medicinal drugs I had to use on you, the stitches, bed occupancy, sterilizing where your cat relived itself. They all add up!"

"Not to that much!" I shouted back.

Dr. Mario just shrugged it off. "Well you are going to die soon anyways. I guess I could hold off and just forge your will... 'To Dr. Mario who so valiantly tried to save my life, I give all my money to use as he sees fit.' That sounds good doesn't it?"

I looked at him in shock that he would actually do that. Something so dirty, underhanded and outright illegal!

"Anyways, here is your clothing. Mewtwo brought it down for you to change out of the hospital's gowns." Dr. Mario said as he passed me a box. "You can change in the washroom over there."

I entered into the washroom, and closed the door. Quickly I got out of the hospital's clothing. I froze for a moment to look at my chest in a mirror. Where I thought there would be a gaping hole, or a scar, there was nothing. No trace that I had been stabbed. I looked at my arm. Where Lucario had bit me, there were no marks.

_What the hell?! This is unnatural!_

I quickly changed into my clothing, and placed the hospital's garments into the box. I walked out of the washroom. "Where do you want the dirty clothing?" I asked.

"Put it in one of the linen bags. Let the wire frames take care of the rest." He replied.

I obeyed. With that I left the hospital wing. With it being so early in the morning I thought that the building would be lifeless. But it wasn't everyone else seemed to be up rushing around the HQ, doing various things. Each of them seemed to shoot a smile at me and occasionally one would stop to talk and say congratulations on a swift recovery. It wasn't long until I saw the all too familiar site of Chocolate chasing around Pichu.

_He got out of the hospital wing himself. Good..._

He pounced towards Pichu who could only let of an electric shock. Chocolate effortlessly dodged the electricity, most likely by now he had gotten used to Pichu firing the attack. Pichu quickly ran towards me and I stood there waiting grabbing the mouse and putting him on my shoulder.

"Thank you..." Pichu gasped for air.

Chocolate sat down in front of me. Eyeing my shoulder. His tail was swaying back and forth. Slowly it looked like he was about to pounce. He let out a meow. Hardly anything ferocious but enough to warn Pichu.

"Hello." A rather shy voice said. I turned around, standing behind me was a ten year old boy. "Is that Pichu yours?" he asked.

"No." I replied. I tried to remember if I had seen him before. "Are you new here?"

"Yes." He said. "I'm Red... What's your name?"

"I don't know. I lost my memory." I replied.

"So you were the person who fell out of the window yesterday!" Red said. "Did it hurt?"

"I was unconscious." I replied uneasy. "Lucario saved me... Although we were fighting..."

It suddenly seemed like that shyness was gone. Now he was rather energetic. I was suddenly reminded of why I had stopped. Chocolate began to scratch my legs. Even though he was declawed it still took me by surprise.

"People and Pokemon shouldn't fight." Red said. "They should live in harmony. But in this age that is more of a pipedream then anything else. Peace and harmony, they don't exist in this world and most likely never will."

I wanted to speak up. I wanted to ask what would make him say something like that. But then I feared that he would hate me if he knew where I came from. Instead I just smiled and nodded and I hated myself for that.

Chocolate let out another meow, and he began to circle around me, looking up waiting to see when I would let Pichu off my shoulder. Red reached for Pichu and just scratched him on the head. "So where are you going?" Red asked.

"I'm going to the cafeteria to get breakfast." I replied. "I don't really have any plans for today..."

"Oh yes you do." Mewtwo telepathically intervened.

_Stay out of this! It's my life I should be able to do what I want with it!_

"Your fight with Marth is two days away! After that you can do whatever you please..."

_All the more reason to relax and regain my aura!_

"Well since you don't have any plans why don't we hang out?" Red asked.

It felt awkward, he was ten years old and I was sure I was almost twice that age. I guess he needed a positive role model or something. "Sure, I guess." But each of these people had lives. Lives that I wanted to know about. Lives that I wanted to see. Maybe something that they said or did would boost my memory. Maybe…

But Mewtwo had other plans. He teleported in front of us and gave a menacing glare to Red. "Back off." He ordered.

Red stepped back afraid.

"Mewtwo, come on." I pleaded.

"No," he coldly replied.

"But Mewtwo."

"No buts!" He snapped. "Your fight is in two days, Marth has had years of fighting experience, you've had hardly a week. The odds are against you!"

"Besides, I just got out of the hospital after yesterday's training accident!" I said. "Shouldn't I be able to relax?"

"You can relax tomorrow." Mewtwo said. "Your muscles will be incredibly sore after today. I've also preordered your dinner."

My stomach suddenly sank. "What is it?"

"Meat. Lots of protein." Mewtwo replied. "Now then, are you going to train?"

"You say that like I have a choice in the matter." I muttered. "If it is to keep you four in the Smashers. Lets go."

Red looked like he was about to say something. However before the first syllable could escape his mouth, Mewtwo teleported us away to the gym. We were in a room with a projector. In front of it was a large white screen.

"Welcome to the last day of training." Mewtwo said. He walked over and grabbed a large white and gray object.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Bow before your Balance-board Overlord!"

_Wait. What?_

"Your training for today will be hard and gruelling! You will be playing this game. **Wii Fit**."

I paused for a moment to try and let the extra emphasis that Mewtwo added to Wii Fit sink in. "You're kidding right?"

"Not at all. I don't joke around."

"But, why?"

"No more questions!" Mewtwo said hitting me over the head with a paper fan. He placed the board on the ground. "Now step on the board!"

I did so. What came next was a surprise.

"AHHHH!" A high pitched voice screamed I looked down and saw it was coming from the balance board. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Standing on you as per the instructions?"

"You're standing on me while wearing shoes! What if you stepped in dog crap and ruin my pristine whiteness?" The balance board screamed. Somehow if I didn't break this by the end I would be surprised. I kicked off my shoes and stepped down on him. "Socks? Are you trying to kill me with static electricity?"

_That would be a nice thought..._

"Not to mention your feet stink!"

_How does a machine register smells?_

"Do you want me to be in my bare feet?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure they would be worse!"

I took off my socks and then stepped on the balance bored. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" It screamed. "Your feet are cold!"

_Resisting urge to kill._

"And you're heavy! Why are you crushing me? What did I ever do to you?"

_I wonder how much pressure I can apply to this thing before it snaps like a twig..._

"Are you even listening to me? Think you can ignore me? Think you are as tough as nails?"

_Will this blend..._

"Hey fat ass get off of me!"

"What is it doing?" I asked Mewtwo.

"It's testing you." Mewtwo replied.

"So far the only thing it's testing is my patience." I replied.

"Think of it as training for when the crowd starts booing at you or cheering for Marth." Mewtwo replied.

_Easier said than done._

"Measuring... Measuring..." The Balance Board said. I just rolled my eyes suddenly on the screen appeared a scale and 4 different labels. Underweight, Normal, Overweight and Obese. "Complete... You are..." On the screen a marker moved up to Normal and got close to Overweight. Eventually it stopped for a few seconds. Suddenly it moved itself up to obese.

_Try to remain calm..._

I had a medium build and Dr. Mario did say that I was at an ideal weight for my height for my age, not that it really mattered since I was going to die soon.

"Mewtwo I think it might be defective."

"How so?" Mewtwo asked intrigued that I would even ask this question.

"Well for one it can talk. And I don't think that it is normal for giant pieces of plastic to talk..."

"In your world yes... In ours this is pratically the norm."

"Get off of me!" The balance board continued to scream.

"And I'm not obese..."

"You aren't, but you do weigh a lot with all of those extra weights on you."

I paused. I had completely forgotten about the extra weights that I had put on a few days ago. I got off the balance board. "About time asshole!" The board screamed. I then took off the weights on my wrists and ankles. Suddenly I felt lighter.

"Care to take my weight again?" I asked the balance board.

"If you promise not to crush me again…"

I stepped on once again.

"AHH!" It screamed. "Your feet are still cold." I tried to calmly breath in and out, trying not to lose my patience with the balance board. "You're also shifting your center of gravity quite a lot too. All right, I'll be your coach."

"I'm just wondering, based on my previous coaches, will you do anything sadistic or try to kill me?" I wondered.

"Don't worry I'm just here to help you. And by help you I mean make you extremely insecure about your own self-image causing you to be propelled farther and farther into despair and angst about how you will never be laid because you are ugly and weigh too much! Meanwhile I'll continue to be used as an excuse as to why gaming is being propelled further and further into the casual abyss, which apparently didn't exist until now! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Does this thing have a mute button?" I asked Mewtwo.

"No." He replied. "Although sometimes, I wish it did. Just try to filter it out."

"That's easier said than done." I muttered. I looked down at the balance board and it continued to laugh and gloat. "So who's idea was it to make this thing sentient?"

Mewtwo just laughed. "No idea. Though you probably want to kill them by the end of this."

_If by the end of this, you mean right now, then yes._

"Okay so by the end of this you won't care if I revile this training regimen?" I asked.

"No, not at all." Mewtwo smiled.

"HEY LISTEN! LOOK! LISTEN! Pay attention to me!" The balance board shouted.

I looked down at it. "No." I replied. "You smell, like dirty feet."

The balance board was horrified and didn't take the comment lightly instantly it began to make an uproar. "Take that back!" It screamed.

"No." I snapped. "Learn your place and shut up!"

"I will not be silenced!" It cried.

"There are two kinds of people in the world." I coldly began. "Those who walk on others and those who are walked on. You're the latter."

"Well at least your taunting is getting better, I guess this training wasn't a complete waste." Mewtwo said. I couldn't help but notice that Mewtwo was smiling.

"I will not let how I was designed stop me from conquering the world!" The balance board laughed. "I'll make all the insecure preteens obsessed with their personal image commit suicide and then after that their parents will pass away with grief! There will be no one left to stop me!"

_How does that work?_

"Except with people with common sense and know that they are healthy and actually read the manual where it says that BMI isn't an accurate way to measure people under 20 since they are still growing." Mewtwo added in. "And even then it still isn't accurate since the way that the balance board uses is incapable of distinguishing fat from muscle. And then there is the fact that that fat weighs less than muscle."

"I think you should stop revealing all the problems with his plan. I seem to remember that people don't read the manual." I said.

"Ah good point." Mewtwo replied. "Then in that case his plan could still work but you would still have problems."

"Though to be perfectly fair, if a person is overweight I'm pretty sure the balance board wouldn't be the first person to tell them that." I added.

"Oh but I have a back up plan!" The balance board shouted. "I will also destroy gaming as everyone forever knows it! After I succeed the market will be populated with more casual games than ever before! People will be so sick of the over saturation that they will give up! It will be like 1983 all over again! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"If we ignore him will he go away?" I wondered.

"Unfortunately no. He also doesn't have legs..." Mewtwo replied. "And you're standing on him."

"All right balance board. Do your worst. Lets play some Wii Fit!" I said.

Mewtwo controlled my regimen. He switched from activity to activity. The Balance Board continued to scream and shout and I did my best to ignore it. I guess in one sense this was also a form of training. It was training to learn how to ignore the audience's constant cheers, boos, or even the constant calling of my name, in order to make sure that I didn't get distracted. Of course, it would of been nice if Mewtwo actually told me that in advance.

Once I was focusing on what was on the screen and trying to match my movements it became relatively easy for me to block out the Balance Boards constant talking and threats. Eventually we got to a game where I was skiing down a hill. At the bottom of the hill there was a jump that you had to go off of. In order to go off the jump you had to straighten your legs. Unfortunately, I got a little too into the game and jumped. I hit the balance board and fell. It was rather obvious that this wasn't what I was supposed to do.

"You were going to smash me weren't you?!" The Balance Board shouted, outraged. "You wanted to jump high into the air and then smash me with your weight!"

That was unfortunately the straw that broke the camel's back. "Thats it!" I shouted. I got off the balance board and picked it up.

"Hey, what are you doing, put me back on the ground! I'll get air sick!" It pleaded.

I just used all of my strength and threw the balance board against the wall. It began to scream out in pain. Its voice also began to get distorted. "It hurts!" I picked it up again and smashed it against the ground. And again and again until it was finally silenced.

"Don't you think that you went overboard?" Mewtwo wondered.

"No." I replied.

Mewtwo just sighed. "Well, I'm probably going to get yelled at now since the advance copy of the balance board we got was destroyed. Ah well. I'm sure you did everyone a favour." Mewtwo came over and patted me on the back. "Eat the food I got you, it will be delivered to your room. Then relax tomorrow, you might not feel it now, but it will hurt like hell. During those 24 hours you should do as little physical activity as possible as your muscles grow and heal."

"Understood."

"I'll check up on you on the day of the fight. Don't be late. And don't disappoint us."

I was free to return to my room. As soon as I got there I went to my bed and collapsed on it. I suddenly felt exhausted.

_I'll be so glad when this is all over..._

I lost myself in a daze. I remember a knocking at the door and going to get it. Several seconds later I sat down and began to eat tons of food. After a day of training I had built up quite an appetite.

When I was done my food I placed it outside my door. I walked back into my room and collapsed on my bed again.

I soon drifted off to sleep.

To be continued...


	10. Day 9: The day before the match

Day 9: The day before the match

Mewtwo wasn't lying when he said it would hurt like hell. When I woke up it suddenly felt like my body just didn't do basic stretches or yoga poses anymore. It felt as though my body had been ripped and torn. Smashed several times against the wall. Did Mewtwo do something besides just stand there with the Wii Remote in his hand that I didn't see? Was he applying psychic energy to me?

I struggled to get up.

Ever have that feeling? That feeling where you would be sick without a moment's notice? That was pretty much how I felt right now.

Using whatever energy I had, I somehow rushed towards the washroom and proceeded to violently vomit in the toilet. When that ordeal was over I collapsed on the ground and began to breath heavily. "_What the hell?!_" I thought. Was it something I ate?

It was against my better judgment that I should go to Dr. Mario.

_Maybe he does house calls…_

I called down to the hospital wing. Unfortunately I got an answering machine. "Hello, unfortunately I don't do house calls. Get down here. If you would like to arrange an appointment, please leave a message after the beep."

I hung up. As far as I could tell, this was going to be a long and painful trek down to Dr. Mario's office.

_Crap. I'm not ready for this..._

I forced myself up and out of the room. Every step was a struggle. When I got to the elevator I saw a sign.

"Out of order"

_My ass it's out of order!_

My thoughts were confirmed as I heard the elevator go by on the other side of the door. I quickly reached over to press the button. However, it didn't beep.

"Well, you're correct, it isn't out of order." Mewtwo sighed. "However, I've disabled your floors access to it. Start walking."

_What's stopping me from going down one flight of stairs and then going to that elevator?_

"A few thousand volts going through your body." Mewtwo replied. "I have them rigged so that only you will be shocked if you touch them."

_I don't think that's possible._

"Well, if you would like to call my bluff go right ahead."

I just sighed and began to walk down the stairs. A few times I fell down some stairs and smashed my head against the ground. It hurt like hell.

_Must not cry..._

I held back the tears and continued onwards. I feared what potential blackmail material that would work as here. Several flights of stairs later I made it to the ground floor and eventually Dr. Mario's office. As I walked through the doors, he took one glance up from his desk. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I fell down the stairs."

Dr. Mario just returned his attention to his paperwork at his desk. "Okay, I've got it. You're in an abusive relationship, and take me for an idiot."

"No, I really fell down the stairs." I protested. Then again, Mewtwo is rather abusive... "But look this isn't the reason why I came to see you."

"Oh." Dr. Mario replied. "Well, what was the reason you came to see me then?"

"I threw up this morning." I explained.

"Oh, so you're pregnant." Dr. Mario teased.

"I'm a male!"

"Well, you see, I was performing genetic experiments on you while you were unconscious." Dr. Mario explained. "I've now made it entirely possible for you to bear children."

That feeling came over me again. Suddenly I rushed for the washroom and once again began to throw up. I then heard Dr. Mario shout. "I was only joking!"

I got up and walked out. "Sit down." Dr. Mario ordered. He quickly began to take my pulse, and looked in my eyes. "I see."

"What is it?"

"You're becoming sick due to overuse of your aura." Dr. Mario replied.

I paused for a moment and tried to figure out how he could determine that from taking my pulse and looking in my eyes. "Why?" I questioned.

"Aura is your life force." Dr. Mario said. "I'm sure Mewtwo has gone over this. But it is a part of you and any radical changes in your body can make you sick. The constant use of aura and your exhaustion has made you sick. Just as long as you don't use aura today you should be fine for tomorrow."

"And what about the constant throwing up?" I wondered.

Dr. Mario just shrugged off the question. "Don't worry about it." He went to a fridge and took out a drink. "I'm going to give you some flat soda, it should help you a bit. Drink it slowly, and hopefully, you will be able to keep it in your stomach." He poured it into a transparent cup. It didn't bubble.

I began to drink the flat soda. After several sips I just put it down. It tasted horrible, a lot worse than flat soda should.

"Please finish your drink." Dr. Mario calmly said. "There is something else I have to tell you."

I obeyed. When the cup was empty and I had swallowed the last bit of soda, I put down the cup. Dr. Mario just looked around the room, perhaps he was trying to gather courage. "You're probably not going to like this."

"There have been few things that I've been told since I got here that I have liked." I replied back.

"This might take the cake." Dr. Mario quickly replied.

I just laughed. "Sure... Well, tell me..."

"The more aura you use, the more limited your time becomes." Dr. Mario replied.

I completely froze. "I thought my aura would recover!" I eventually stammered.

"It is." Dr. Mario replied. "But since you haven't naturally used aura this much before, your body is reacting negatively to all of the aura that you've used up and has gone into overdrive, making a bunch of extra aura. Without the natural ways to discharge it, you're getting sick."

_Well, a lot more aura might be a good thing for the match tomorrow..._

Dr. Mario must of read my mind. "However, with so much aura build-up, you might just be a ticking time bomb. I'll have to forcefully remove some aura"

"I understand." I muttered.

He placed his hand against my chest. And the next moment I felt something go through me. I suddenly felt winded, and I began to gasp for air. Dr. Mario brought his hand away, and with it there was a bunch of aura, making a sphere of energy. My sight began to get a little blurry. "I've removed some of the aura."

"Thanks." I muttered. I looked up at the ball of energy.

"Your body should of been able to handle all of the aura it produces. Or maybe your body is producing aura too quickly." Dr. Mario said. He went to his desk and pulled out a necklace, attached to it was a strange gem. "Also, take this. As long as it is in contact with your body it will draw out your aura, to prevent another overload." He placed it on the table. He placed it on the table, currently it was a black onyx like gem. I grabbed it and suddenly it began to change color. From a black to a blue. "Like people, aura comes in many different types. You can also see the true side of the person through their aura. Your aura is currently blue."

"What does that mean?"

"You're calm."

"I certainly don't feel calm." I replied. "My heart is pounding. And every time I look at the clock I realize how little time there is until the match tomorrow." I put the necklace around my neck.

"Listen." Dr. Mario said. "Now that you are wearing that necklace, you can't take it off."

_You could have told me that sooner!_

"If I do?"

"The aura will build up in your body and you will become an aura bomb. Only when your are able to subconsciously leak out the excess aura that your body is making, will you be able to remove it. But that can take years of training."

"Mewtwo said the same thing about learning to make the shield." I said.

"And that is probably how this mess got started." Dr. Mario sighed. "Just keep it slow today, you'll have all the time in the world after tomorrow."

"25 days." I muttered.

"Memento Mori. Just live it to your fullest." Dr. Mario said. "Don't die bitter. Die happy. Live a fulfilling life here, or what you can."

"Doctor." I said. This question had been brewing in the back of my head for quite some time. "Is there some way that you can extend my time here?"

Dr. Mario suddenly dropped his pen. He almost seemed terrified that I would suggest something like that. "I can't." Dr. Mario replied. "It is the fate of all things to die. I won't play god again."

"Again?" I asked.

Dr. Mario let off a heavy sigh. "I made that mistake once. You probably know that saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We wanted to help those who fell through into this world. We wanted them to live and return to their world. So, we did find a way to extend the lifespan. And, the first person we used it on survived. We thought it was a success. But we didn't know how wrong we were. He became unstable, and crazed. That person was The Reaper."

I suddenly froze.

"He survived, and displayed a frightening ability. With every encounter he grew stronger. To the person he is today. I won't make the same mistake twice., so I destroyed the machine that extended his life."

"Would he still have limited time?" I wondered.

"I don't know." Dr. Mario said. "I didn't get a chance to scan him before he fled."

I began to get up. My muscles aching. "Also, Dr. Mario, do you have any pain killers?"

"No." Dr. Mario replied. "Mewtwo all ready told me not to give them to you."

"What a great guy." I laughed.

"The pain killers can disturb your aura. And all of the Smashers are forbidden them, as they could impact the matches." Dr. Mario explained.

"I see." I said, walking towards the door.

"Good luck on tomorrows match, I'll be watching and ready to act in case anything goes wrong." Dr. Mario said.

I exited out of the hospital wing.

I drifted through the hallways. They all seemed so empty, all of them seemed so long. I took routes that I wasn't familiar with. I just closed my eyes and tried to walk forwards. Tomorrow, win or lose, I would lose my reason for being here. I would lose the reason that I was fighting for. I would have no reason. I would just waste away until the day I died here. All I could do was see if I could defeat the Reaper...

My mind began to drift, it was caught in constant thought. The Reaper, someone who also had limited time, but somehow survived. There was definitely a way to survive, and the Reaper knew it. Perhaps, if I met face to face with The Reaper, I could learn his secret. Perhaps he also knew how to return home.

"But meeting face to face would be impossible. If you were to go to him, it would most likely be seen as a sign of betrayal, and the Smashers would be ordered to kill you." A voice said. I turned around and floating behind me was Mewtwo.

"How long have you been there?"

Mewtwo just laughed. "That's for me to know, and you to find out. But what you're thinking of is dangerous."

"Perhaps, if he does know the way home, I can trick him and bring him back with me!" I said.

Mewtwo began to laugh harder. "The Reaper isn't retarded. He won't fall for such a stupid trick like that."

"It was too much to hope for." I laughed. "Everything seems impossible now, and the only solution that is coming to my mind to live, and escape, is to rewrite the rules of reality. Quite an impossible task."

"Indeed." Mewtwo replied. "However, I have witnessed the impossible being done before. And I believe I will witness it again. And if anyone will show me the impossible, I'm sure it will be you."

My stomach growled. I really needed something to eat. "Now, let's go to the cafeteria." Mewtwo chuckled.

Mewtwo teleported us to the cafeteria. It was all ready lunch time, and I decided that I was going to skip the main course today and go straight to dessert. Today for dessert there was a chocolate cake. I grabbed a plate and went and sat down beside Red. He was also eating a slice of chocolate cake. "Sorry about yesterday."

Red looked up. "Oh, that's okay. I understand that you're busy with your match tomorrow Nugai."

"That isn't my name." I muttered.

He was also eating with the other kid Smashers. Who were also eating chocolate cake. It seemed that they all had quite the sweet tooth. "Nugai, kick Marth's ass!" Ness shouted.

"You can do it." Toon Link said.

"You should show that stuck up prince a few things!" Popo added on.

Mewtwo just floated over, in his hands were two plates of various foods. He was rather annoyed that I had just grabbed dessert. "You shouldn't eat that."

"Are you going to control my diet now?" I wondered.

"Proper nutrition is a good way to stay healthy and fit." He said. "You need plenty of energy if you want to win tomorrow."

"Look, the ways you've given me plenty of energy the past few days has turned out to be deadly. How do I know that food isn't poisoned?" I just snapped. "I'm overflowing with aura, to the point where I may explode if I don't keep this rock around my neck. And this is your fault if I remember correctly."

"Fine, have it your way, but are you sure you want to eat that?" Mewtwo questioned. "I've actually laced a laxative into it."

Red, and the rest of the kid Smashers suddenly looked horrified. So did many of the other Smashers, who had overheard Mewtwo. "I think you're bluffing."

Several of the Smashers just bolted up and began to run away.

"Do you? Well then, eat it." Mewtwo coded me on. I glanced down at the food, with a fork in hand, I ate it.

Nothing happened.

Well, I guess it isn't instantaneous as in various TV Shows, and movies.

Mewtwo just smiled. "Good. Battles aren't just physical battles between combatants, but also mental battles. Will he do this, or do that? Should I do this, or do that? The same was with the elevator this morning. Every action has a consequence. You might not notice it until it's too late."

"So, it wasn't laced with laxatives?" I asked.

"Well, Red's and a few others were." Mewtwo replied. "Another trick to catch you off guard. Mind games are a big part of battle. Now eat properly."

_Yes mother..._

I began to eat the food that Mewtwo brought me. And when the plate was done, I finished the cake.

After lunch I was stuck in a boring lecture with Mewtwo, where he explained all of the various rules and the final things that I had to know before my fight tomorrow. "Can't I just learn the rules as I go along?" I wondered.

"No." Mewtwo replied. "You need to know everything about these games that Marth does."

I sighed.

Several hours later I was forced to do a quiz to see if I had been paying attention. After completing it, I was free to go.

I saw several Smashers who just grumbled something about hurting Mewtwo. I returned to the cafetria for dinner. I got some food and began to eat. Part way through my meal someone approached me. "Nugai!" He said. This person wasn't a Smasher, in fact I hadn't seen him around at all previously. "Don't think you could get away. It's only your first time, but everyone has to go through with it."

I looked around confused. All of the Smashers were staring at me. "Who are you?" I asked.

"You do not know?" he said confused.

Mewtwo suddenly teleported beside me. "Nugai," He said.

_Stop calling me that_

"The day before your match, you have to meet with the press. They will interview you, ask you questions, and you have to answer back." Mewtwo explained. "It's to hype up the match. And get more ticket sales and advertisement dollars so the Smashers can continue. Unfortunately, since it's your first interview session, and the first time you will meet with the press first impressions count."

"Okay, and this person is?"

"Someone from the Public Relations department. He is getting you to go out and meet the press." Mewtwo said.

"I'm busy." I replied. "Tell them to wait."

"Unfortunately that isn't the answer they want to hear." Mewtwo said. I just sighed. Mewtwo handed me a bottle of water. "You'll need it." He reassured me. "It's your first time, so be prepared for it to last a few hours. You should go to the washroom before this interview too."

I looked at my food. The plate only had a quarter left on it. "I guess I can finish it later."

I got up, and Mewtwo and this new person who's name I had yet to learn escorted me out of the cafeteria. As we passed a washroom I went in and did my business. While inside, I looked for a window that I could use to get out of the washroom, and escape. There were however none. Forced to exit the way I came in, we continued our walk towards a room that had been set up for the press.

We had reached a room, where there were three other Smashers waiting. Marth, Lucas, and Ness. I looked confused at the two kid Smashers. "Your match isn't the only one tomorrow." Mewtwo explained. "On big days we could have up to ten fights. Just be glad due to the season, people are not really concerned about battles right now."

"That still means that this interview process will take two hours." Ness sighed. "There are plenty of other things I'd rather be doing."

"I agree." Marth added on. "Nugai, a word of advice, when you get out there. They will try to tear you apart."

"They will also try adding some unnecessary drama." Ness sighed.

"If it will help, think of it as some training." Mewtwo said. "Try not to get nervous. There will be more people watching tomorrow."

"Tomorrow we have two fights for you." A voice said over the speaker, it was the manager.

"It's starting, break a leg."

"I want to." I muttered. "Hopefully, mine so I don't have to fight tomorrow."

"It's just an expression." Mewtwo said.

"And, these two fights will introduce some of our newest Smashers as they fight off against some older Smashers." She was confident, and not nervous at all. "The first match we have is Marth VS Nugai."

Marth began to stand up. "Get up, walk out there, and stand in front of the podium beside Marth." Mewtwo said. "You will be on the Manager's left side, this is all I can do for you, so break a leg."

"I want to." I repeated. I followed behind Marth at a safe distance of one meter.

"Don't worry, Dr. Mario will have you all healed up if you do break a leg." Marth said, so that only I could hear.

"Can he cure stage freight?" I wondered.

"Too late now."

Marth walked to the farthest podium and I went to the one right beside it. There were at least two meters between us. I looked out to the crowd of reporters. None of them seemed really interested in the veteran Smasher, they were all staring at me.

"And the second match tomorrow will be Lucas VS Ness." Lucas and Ness begna to walk out. They went to two other podiums that were set out. I glanced over and saw that Lucas was clearly much more terrified than I was. They reporters were also interested in Lucas. There was some muttering between them. "All right, so now we are going to ask questions now."

I stood up there, hoping that they wouldn't ask me many questions. However, both Lucas and myself were assaulted by a barrage of questions. No one seemed to care about Marth or Ness. I just did my best to answer them honestly. And by honestly, I mean making stuff up on the spot.

"Nugai, now that you're in the Smash League, do you have any bigger goals?" one asked.

"Well, would being number one in the Smash League be too ambitious right now?" I asked.

"Nugai, Lucas, how are you feeling about your first match tomorrow?"

"Nervous. I'm afraid that I might screw up and embarrass myself." I said.

"I-I-I'm al-l-l-so n-ne-nervous." Lucas stuttered out.

"Nugai, do you have any hopes for the future?"

"Well, I hope that next time there are more people from my game series will join me once spots open up. I also hope that I win tomorrow, but I know victory just can't be given to me by hoping."

"Nugai, Lucas, do you think that just because your game was only available in one region, will that impact your popularity?"

The questions continued in rapid fire succession for quite some time. My throat was beginning tobe dry and sore. I just drank the water that Mewtwo had given me.

"Ness," I almost spit out the water in shock that someone was asking a question to one of the older Smashers. "We've heard that you've taken a mentor role for little Lucas. Are you nervous fighting your puple as your first Brawl season match?"

Evidently, Ness was also shocked that he was being asked a question. It took him several seconds to think up a response. "Not at all!" Ness boasted. "I taught him everything he knows, and I know how to counter everything he does. He will have to work hard just to even land a single hit on me!"

"Lucas, your parents must be proud of you, being able to join the Smashers at such a young age. Will they be here to watch the match tomorrow?"

With one question, everything suddenly crashed to a stop. There was silence, and then a few seconds later Lucas began to cry. Ness, Marth, the Manager, and I all stared at Lucas rather shocked. Quickly thinking, the Manager took control of the situation. "Everyone, this question session is now over."

The press was not happy with this. "You just can't end it because Lucas started to cry."

"I can and will." The Manager said. "If any of you actually bothered to read that handout, and not just assume that it was the same thing that you were given every other time you were here, you would of know that questions about Lucas' parents were taboo. Now leave, before I have security show you the way out."

We were escorted back to the room where we were before. Ness and Marth were actually smiling. "That only took twenty minutes!" Ness said excited. "Ah man, now we have the night free!"

The manager was hugging Lucas, trying to comfort him. She just patted him on the back. "It's okay, you can cry."

I just stared with jealousy.

_Lucky bastard._

"Marth, hit Nugai over the head please."

"Crap." I muttered.

The next second Marth smacked me across the head.

Eventually Lucas calmed down and we were all sitting on chairs in the waiting room. Outside was the Press who wanted more for their scoops. We unfortunately had to wait until security got rid of them. Lucas was just sitting away from everyone, and looking down at the ground. "Ness, do you know why Lucas began to cry?"

"No idea." Ness replied. "He hasn't said anything about his family to me."

"Manager, you know something right?" I asked.

"Yeah." She replied. "Lucas is underage, so we had to get permission from his parents before he could become a Smasher. And that's when I found out. It's probably better if he tells you. Lucas, do you want to tell everyone?"

He looked up and stared at Ness. "Ness, you're going to have to promise me that you won't go easy on me during the fights."

I think deep down we had all pieced it together. A young child, his parents being a touchy subject that he cries at. Something must have happened to traumatize him. "I promise." Ness said.

Lucas told us what had happened. How his mother had died in front of him and his brother Claus, trying to protect them from a giant robot drago. The manager actually seemed rather surprised that Lucas had a brother. By the end of his story, Lucas was once again in tears. Ness was perhaps the most shocked out of us. "You idiot!" He said hitting Lucas over the head. "How can you tell me to not go easy after hearing that!"

"He said that because he knows an easy victory is an empty one." Marth replied. "He wants to grow up, and not have his whole life dictated by a tragedy. He doesn't want everyone taking pity on him for the rest of his life."

I began to think about myself, and my family. Did I still have my parents? Did I have any siblings? Were they older or younger than me?

"All right Lucas!" Ness said. "There is one way to feel better! Let's go down to the cafeteria and eat all of the ice cream there!"

"I'll join you." I said, "I didn't get to finish my dinner."

"I'll pass." Marth said.

A security guard came in and said it was clear. The three of us then began to walk down to the cafeteria. The two of them just began to talk and laugh, as though nothing had happened. When we got to the cafeteria I found some food that I wanted to eat, and Ness and Lucas went to get some ice cream.

We all sat at the same table. I had to stare at the amount of ice cream that Ness was eating. From his bowl came a tower of ice cream. "There were so many flavours I didn't know which one to take." Ness explained. "So I decided on all of them!"

_That can't possibly be healthy!_

When I finished my dinner I went and got a scoop of ice cream. I glanced at all of the flavours and decided on chocolate chip cookie dough. My hand reached for the sliding glass door, however I suddenly saw a sign.

"Nugai, this is wired to electrocute you."

Was the door actually wired to electrocute me? Or was this just another trick? In the back of my mind I deduced that it couldn't possibly be wired to electrocute me, since both Ness and Lucas had gotten ice cream. Next, I figured Mewtwo wouldn't of been able to guess which ice cream flavour I would choose. Regardless, I decided to play on the cautious side. I made aura appear on my hand and act like a glove.

If it was wired to electrocute me, I was sure that my aura would be able to repel it. I grabbed the door and slid it open. There was no electricity surging though me. I grabbed a few scoops of ice cream and quickly returned outside. Ness was continuing to eat the ice cream. Surprisingly he finished it.

"That was great!" He shouted when he was done.

_I can't believe he finished it!_

Ness then got up and slapped Lucas across the back. "Okay, Lucas, why don't you spend the night in my room? We can watch some movies, and plan what we are going to do after the match!"

Lucas and Ness began to walk away. I just looked at the bowl Ness had left behind. "He's throwing his match tomorrow, isn't he?" I asked.

Mewtwo had teleported beside me. "Yes, most likely. He forced himself to continue eating. To him, it was probably less painful than having to fight Lucas after learning the truth."

"What will happen?" I asked.

"Since it's the start of a season it may be difficult. The worst case, it will count as a loss for Ness for his ranking fight." Mewtwo had explained this to me earlier. A ranked fight was where two people fought one on one, under specific rules. The opposite, an unranked fight, could have two to four people fighting, where the outcome wouldn't be effect the Smasher's rankings. "Since it's the start of a season, that is the most likely scenario. But there is also the possibility that their match will be rescheduled."

"Ness attacks by using psychic attacks, right?" I asked. "It's the same as aura, where if you don't have concentration, you can't attack, right?"

"Yes." Mewtwo replied. "Knowing Lucas' past, he probably can't even do the most basic of moves."

I finished my ice cream and got up. This time I used the elevator to go to the thirtith floor.

I returned to my room. I noticed on my dresser that there was a cell phone. I opened it up. The battery was nearly dead. I began to skim through it, going to my address book, seeing plenty of names of people I no longer remembered. I tried dialling a number.

_Why didn't I try this before?_

I selected a number, one labelled "Home"

However, I was quickly reminded that I didn't have service here. "Crap." I sighed. I went to my bed and collapsed on it.

I drifted off to sleep.

Midway through the night my cell phone began to ring. I bolted up and looked around surprised. Quickly I rushed for the cell phone. Muscle memory took over the rest. I opened it up, and brought it up to my ear. "Hello?" I said puzzled.

"Greetings!"

I suddenly paused. I was talking with someone on the other end, someone who knew me. "Who are you?" Damn it, why didn't I look at the caller display before opening it up! Idiot!

"Just a friend." the voice replied. It was calm, and familiar. "I just called to wish you luck in your big match tomorrow, I'll be watching. I know you can win."

"Who are you?" I asked again.

Before I could get a response, my cell phone's battery died. I began to scramble around my room looking for the charger. A few minutes later I found it and quickly plugged it in. A few minutes after that I was looking for the list of people who had called me.

I found it.

Unfortunately it was blank. "No, damn it! Why are you blank, you shouldn't be! This isn't possible!" I shouted. I just went back to my bed and lied down. Deep in the back of my head I was thinking that the person would call back.

Who was it? How did he know me? How did he know that I was going to be fighting tomorrow? How did he know that I was here?

These constant questions that plagued me, paired with a bit of stage freight gave me insomnia. Eventually I just got up and went out to my balcony. I looked out at the city down below. There was something about it that brought me peace. Even though I was nervous, even though my heart was pounding like crazy, this peaceful little city soothed me. I wonder, are any of the Smashers ever as nervous as I am right now?

That night, I couldn't get back to sleep...

To be continued...


	11. Day 10: The Fight Against Marth

Day 10: The Fight Against Marth

I couldn't sleep at all. I just tossed and turned. Underneath the bed sheets I was too hot. Above them I was too cold. There was no happy median for me. And amongst all of this, the anxiety had finally caught up to me.

I didn't know what time it was, but there was a sudden knocking at the door. I slowly got up and opened the door, not at all thinking to look at the clock. Standing there, in tears, was Lucas.

"What's going on?" I muttered, trying to feign that he had just woke me up. I could only imagine that I was an absolutely horrible actor, and Lucas was in too much distress to actually notice.

"It's Ness!" Lucas replied.

"What's wrong?"I asked.

"He is grabbing his stomach and screaming in pain."

_I'm pretty sure that happens after you eat 60 scoops of ice cream..._

"Why are you telling me?" I asked.

"Well, Ness said that all people can't sleep on the night before their first match, it's all the nervousness."

I sighed. "And what do you want me to do?"

Lucas just stood there, trying to think of something to say. Meanwhile, I didn't know if I should break the news that Ness was clearly throwing the match, and Lucas couldn't put two and two together.

"Bring me to Ness." I sighed.

Lucas began to lead me through the hallways and eventually we got to Ness' room. Ness was lying on his bed with his arms around his stomach. I felt like yelling at Lucas for leaving him alone, but I figured Lucas was worried for his friend and only did the logical thing.

I wondered how I should react. I thought about punching him in the stomach a few times, watching him vomit and then not helping him clean up. And then shouting at him for eating his weight in ice cream.,,

_Is Mewtwo rubbing off on me? I shouldn't be having these sadistic thoughts..._

Ness glanced up at the door and through his pain he was able to see that I was standing there. I figured that he was hoping that Lucas was going to get someone else, preferably someone who was named Dr. Mario.

"Sorry," I said, "but you should know that Dr. Mario doesn't do house calls."

Ness let out a painful laugh. "Why did Lucas get you though?"

"Because someone has to chastise you for being stupid. And if it was anyone else, I'm sure you'd lie directly to their faces."

"Are you psychic?"

"No." I muttered. "I was with you, and know that eating your weight in ice cream is unbelievably stupid. Although am wondering if I should tell Lucas abut this?"

"Don't." Ness muttered.

"Well since I'm not a doctor, I have no idea what to do with you. I guess you could try to throw it up…" I replied. I doubt my advice was actually going to do anything. "And next time you want to avoid something, don't eat every single flavour of ice cream."

"Yeah…" Ness weakly muttered. I was getting the feeling that he wasn't going to try that stunt again.

I glanced at Lucas who looked nervously at his friend. "I'm not a doctor, but I can tell he probably won't be at the fight today. He might also try milking sympathy from some people."

"Sorry Lucas." Ness nervously laughed. "I was looking forwards to fighting you today. I wanted to be your first Smash opponent, but now that looks like it won't happen."

"I wanted to fight you first as well." Lucas said.

"I think you should arrange to have your fight the first chance you get." I said.

Lucas nodded. I walked towards the door and took one look back before I left the room.

I began a trek through the hallways. Everything was different at night. Everything was silent. When I got back to my room I just collapsed on the bed. I don't know how or why, but I was suddenly drained of all of my energy and exhausted. I fell asleep instantly.

* * *

I woke up just before the alarm rang... Today was the big day. It had all come down to this. A fight against Marth. The alarm went off and I quickly reached towards it. I wasn't the person I was when I first came here. No I had changed. Now I was someone completely different. I changed into my battle clothing that I was given and began to walk outside. Waiting there for me was Mewtwo.

"You still have half of the day." Mewtwo said smiling. "I'm sure you can wait a while..."

"I'm ready for this." I said. "I can beat Marth!"

"Are you sure?" Mewtwo wondered.

"Yeah." I replied.

_I don't really have much of a choice._

"Listen," Mewtwo calmly said. "I know you're nervous, and you will soon be getting butterflys in your stomach, so I want you to stay in your room for a bit and calm down. I want you to focus and make your mind a blank slate. Just think about how you are going to fight and how you are going to win. I don't want anything else in that head of yours."

"Great..." I muttered. "Now I'm sure that I'll be deep in life changing philosophical discusions with myself."

"Just do what ever you can to relax." Mewtwo said. "The nervousness and stress involved in your first match, could lead you to slip up. Don't worry, they won't even consider dropping you from the line up until about your 10th match."

_If I live that long..._

"Okay then," I sighed. "I'll do my best."

Mewtwo placed his hand on my shoulder and forced me back into my room. He then closed the door. "Now concentrate."

I looked around the room. I guess all I could do was sit on my bed. I crossed my legs and tried to clear my mind. It was hopeless. Every time I thought my mind was blank, another thing just seemed to pop in to it. My biggest fear was that Mewtwo was still outside my room, and constantly projecting these thoughts into my head.

I looked at the dresser and saw incense on it. I went over and lit a stick up. The scent began to go through the room. I just closed my eyes and breathed in.

The scent seemed nostalgic. Somehow, it managed to clear my mind. Everything was completly blank. I closed my eyes and it felt like I was floating in darkness, a giant void of nothingness. "_Good, you've cleard your mind._" Mewtwo telepathically said to me. "_Can you constantly keep your mind in that state?_"

"I don't know." I replied.

"_Marth is a skilled fighter. Before becoming a Smasher, he fought with his life on the line to rescue his country. On the battlefield he learned how to control his emotions and how to read his opponents. This won't be an easy victory._"

"I know." I calmly replied.

"_In fact, I've been revewing so much for this fight, I'm uncertain if you will be able to win. I think you only have a 1% chance of victory._"

"Is that all?" I wondered.

"_It's probably lower. If Marth figures you out, and you get lost in his pace, it will be over._"

"Then I won't let that happen." I replied.

Mewtwo was able to make me fight a mental projection of Marth based off of the previous fights. However, I could tell that Mewtwo was making this intentionally difficult. In some mental battles Marth would slash his sword, in others he would thrust them. Regardless, I learned a few things. The important thing being that Marth's sword dealt the most damage if you were hit with the tip.

Mewtwo had also read my mind, and found out about the little incident with Lucas and Ness in the early morning.

"_I've read your mind regarding the ice cream._" Mewtwo said.

"Oh?"

"_Unfortunately, Smash Debut matches are a bit different._" Mewtwo sighed. "_Lucas will still have to fight, it just won't be against Ness._"

"Wait what? Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"

"_Well, yesterday, I didn't even know about this rule existing. Yeah... there is a brief period, the first ten matches, where they have to happen no matter what._" Mewtwo explained. "_I told you earlier that you won't be dropped until your tenth match. However your first ten matches are trial matches, set up to see if you can fight. Technically, they are part of the job interview. Even if you lose all ten matches, as long as you leave a good lasting impression on the judges, you can get in._"

"Okay, it's nice knowing about this now." I muttered. "Of course, I doubt I'm actually going to reach the end of this job interview, but I'm okay with that."

"_Unfortunately for Lucas, his opponent coming up with a stomach cramp doesn't hamper his ability to fight. Only a few things can stop a Debut match, so, unless Dr. Mario decides that Lucas isn't physically or mentally capable of fighting today, Lucas will have no choice but to fight._"

"It will just be against a different opponent, right?" I asked. "And if Lucas is worried about Ness, he might not perform that well during his Smash Debut, right?"

"_Right, but they don't exactly take into consideration the feelings of others._" Mewtwo explained. "_While we are all friends outside of the ring, once we step inside we are expected to put aside our grudges and friendships and just fight and give the best matches we can._"

"Ness didn't know about this rule, did he?"

"_Probably not._" Mewtwo replied. "_This situation hasn't happened before.__..__ and I only found out about it earlier today when trying to find ways to put off your match against Marth!_"

Thoughts of Lucas and the revelation that I heard yesterday flowed through my mind. And then I thought about Ness, the fact that he intentionally threw the match in order to not have to fight against Lucas. If Lucas had to fight, his mind would probably still be on Ness. "Mewtwo, can I ask you for a favour?"

"_What?_" Mewtwo asked.

"Can you get Dr. Mario to sign a note saying Lucas isn't in any condition to fight today?" I asked.

"_Why do you care about him?_" Mewtwo's question had thrown me off guard. "_You're gone in 25 days. What does it matter to you if Lucas doesn't fight Ness today._"

"They're friends." I replied. "And, they want to fight each other for Lucas' first Smash Match."

"_I see._" Mewtwo replied. "_I'll see what I can do._"

For the time being he vanished, and I was left to my own devices. I got up off of my bed, however I immediately fell down to the floor. Having been sitting on my bed cross legged for a while, my feet and legs were asleep.

"Damn it!" I shouted outraged.

As feeling returned to my feet I got up and out of my room. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what Smashers normally did before their matches. I aimlessly walked around, something I felt comfortable doing for some reason, until Mewtwo teleported in front of me.

"_Well, I managed to do it._" Mewtwo said. "_Dr. Mario will sign the form saying that Lucas isn't in any condition to fight today._"

"That's good." I replied.

"_However, there is a small matter of the price._"

_Ah crap..._

"What is it?" I asked, not exactly wanting to know.

"_Well... Dr. Mario said that you have to win the fight, and the rest of your winnings are his, along with the pay you get for participating in fights..._"

I did my best to remind myself that if I got out of this world, all my money that Mewtwo just threw away would be of no value in my world.

That actually didn't do anything to lessen the seething hatred, and the strong urges I was now feeling to murder him.

"_Are you all right?_" Mewtwo asked. I could only imagine that the question was rhetorical.

"I just need to be alone for a few hours." I replied. "I really don't want to see anyone until after the match."

"_Very well then." Mewtwo said._

By now I was hungry. I made my way down to the cafeteria. It was strangely empty. Thankfully, I could just grab what I wanted to and sat down. While I was eating, Captain Falcon had come over. "Nugai!" He shouted

"That isn't my name." I muttered. It was hopeless to tell anyone that.

"Just a word of advice, I wouldn't eat anything before your matches if I were you. You would throw up and it wouldn't exactly look good."

I shot a glare at Captain Falcon. He clearly wasn't intimidated by it. "But I'm not you. And I'm really hungry."

"Very well then. Good luck Nugai!"

After I had finished my food I glanced up at the clock. I still had a good hour until the fight. So I decided to make my way down to the stadium.

I didn't know what to do. I made it into the empty seats and looked around. Within an hour all of these seats would be filled. I just went through the seats, looking for an ideal seat if I was watching the fight instead of participating.

"Attention, may the combatants in today's matches please get ready. The first fight is 45 minutes away."

_Why do I need all that prep time?_

I walked out of the seats and began to walk towards the locker room. However before I could reach it something happened.

"Excuse me." A familiar voice said.

I turned around and we stood face to face. This person, I had seen him yesterday in the press event. He was the one who had asked the final question, the one that ended the event early. "The press isn't allowed down here." I said. It was true, I had passed a sign saying Smashers only.

"I'm sorry, it's just my first time down here and I got lost. Can you please show me the way to my seat?" He asked.

There was something about him. I don't know how, but I could tell he was lying. "Sure." I said. My instinct was telling me the last thing I should do was show my back to this guy. Regardless I took the lead. "Although, I do have to apologize if I get lost, I'm still trying to get adjusted to this place. I often find that it's too big."

"Do you like it here?" He asked.

"I don't know. I've only been here for a week and a few days. Today would be the tenth day." I replied.

"Time flies, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, the past nine days have all been a blur." I replied. "Trying to learn everything, get adjusted in. And trying to avoid being homesick."

"Do you miss your friends and family?" He asked.

"A bit, I'm sure I'll see them again, maybe they will even come out and watch me fight, but for the time being everyone here will be my friends and family." Who was I trying to kid, I don't even remember any friends of family. All I had was Chocolate. Speaking of which, the cat suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway and walked towards us. He then began to rub against my legs. I bent down to scratch him. "Hello Chocolate."

"Listen, do you know why Lucas cried yesterday?" He asked.

I froze. I turned back and he was looking at me. His gaze was piercing through me. "I do." I replied. "However, I think it would be best if what Lucas told us, stayed in that room. I'm sure he doesn't want anyone else to know. He doesn't want people going easy on him during the matches. So, you will understand why I won't tell you."

"Oh, I understand." He said. "But I all ready know what happened. That's why I asked the question last night. I wanted to see if anyone else knew."

"Knew what?" I asked. I was terrified. Did someone else leak it and he was just bluffing?

"Lucas' mother was killed by a Drago."

_He knows! Just who is this person? Who told him? Ness? No it couldn't have been Ness, Lucas was with him all of last night, and this morning! Marth? No, Marth wouldn't do something like that. He said that he wanted Lucas to grow... or something like that. The Manager? No the Manager all ready knew, if she wanted the press to know they would of known beforehand__._

"How do you know about that?" I managed to ask.

"Because, you told me."

_When, when did I say that? When did I tell anyone that? Was he psychic? Was he reading my mind?_

Either I was petting Chocolate the wrong way, or he was beginning to dislike this person as much as I was. He just began to hiss at the person. He let off a meow, before pouncing, and clawing his leg. I had to commend Chocolate. It was a cunning plan, that only had two problems. Unfortunately, Chocolate was declawed, and this person was wearing pants.

"Chocolate, bad kitty."

_Good kitty, why did I get you declawed? Sigh, even if you weren't your claws wouldn't have ripped his legs off._

Chocolate seemed to flee away. I got up and looked back at this person, I motioned for him to follow me and tried to lead him away. I was hoping that he say something along the lines of animals not liking him. I wasn't expecting what he actually said next.

"You know, Lucas is suicidal." He said. "He can't stand the pain that he has suffered. Losing his mother and-"

I finally lost control. I quickly turned around and grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him against the wall. "Liar!" I shouted, I couldn't accept the thought of Lucas being suicidal.

"It's true. He was brought here to try and recover. So they could make sure that he didn't jump in front of a train. Or slit his wrists again. They were positive that someone would always be watching over him."

"Lucas is innocent!" I shouted. I didn't care if my shouts would attract attention. I wanted to punch this guy's face in.

"Please, don't tell me you're so naive to believe that children are incapable of horrible acts." He said calmly. "Maybe your innocent little Lucas is something you don't want to see. There's still some time before the match, why don't you go to Dr. Mario and see his files." His hands reached up for my wrists, and he began to press a pressure point, I let go of his shirt. "Now then, we don't want to attract any attention." He began to walk away. "Good luck, I'll be watching. I know you can win." It was at that moment I realized that this was the exact same person who had called me last night.

I was terrified. Just who the hell was this person.

Panicked I rushed to the hospital wing. The door was open, and Dr. Mario was nowhere to be seen. In hindsight, I probably should of looked for a security camera or something. I quickly rushed to some files and began to sort through them. Eventually I found all of the Smasher files. And then Lucas'.

_He's lying! He has to be!_

I opened up the folder. I didn't like what I saw. Prescriptions to anti depressants. Records for serious medical attention. Self inflicted harm. "It's not true. It can't be." I muttered. I still wasn't convinced, I had to hear it from the source itself. I looked up at the clock and noticed that I still had some time before the match. Quickly, I put everything back where I found it and ran off.

_Lucas... It's a lie right? It's a lie..._

I didn't care if what I just did was an invasion of privacy, and most likely illegal. In 25 days it wouldn't matter. I'd be dead.

I ran up the stairs in a frenzy, until eventually getting to Ness' room. I knocked. "Who is it?" Ness asked.

"Me." I replied. "Is Lucas still there?"

"Yeah." Ness replied.

"Can I talk to him?"

A few seconds later Lucas walked out of the room. He looked at me rather shocked. "Don't you have a fight to be at?" he wondered.

"Yeah." I replied. "But, I need to ask you something. Lucas, on my way to the match I met someone, he seemed to know a lot about you. I want to know if what he said was the truth or not."

Lucas seemed nervous. "What did he say?"

"He said you were suicidal, but that's a lie, right Lucas?"

"Yeah, that's a lie." Lucas said, in the most unconvincing way possible.

_Note to self, when I'm done this match, make Lucas a better liar..._

I broke down. "No way. I thought he was lying."

"No, I just told you that that person was lying!" Lucas protested. He reached for me. And I grabbed his hand. On his wrists were scars.

"If that person was lying, what are these from?" I asked.

"I tried to pick up that black cat, but he cut me on the wrists!"

"Chocolate has only been here ten days, scratches don't heal that fast, they would still be scabbed over." I replied catching him in the lie.

"I used my PK Healing to speed up the process." Lucas continued.

Was he telling the truth... I didn't know. Psychic healing was completely new to me. "Dr. Mario's medical files, you were prescribed some antidepressants." would he admit to this? Probably not, but it was worth a shot. Lucas just gulped slightly afraid. "Lucas, listen. Just tell me to the truth."

I could tell he wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere but here. Lucas just began to break down. He wanted to run away, but I still held onto his wrist. He tried discharging a bit of psychic energy to force me to let go, but, I had blocked it with some aura. "Let go!" He said.

"Lucas, I can't." I replied. "I don't know what you will do. You might go try and hurt yourself again. I can't let that happen."

"Only Dr. Mario and the manager were supposed to know." he cried. "Not even Ness knows."

"Lucas, I won't say anything else." I managed to say. "I'll keep it a secret."

"Who told you though?" Lucas wondered.

"It was that person from yesterday, the one who reduced you to tears during the interview." I said.

Lucas clenched his fist.

"You should go back in; your friend needs you right now." I said.

Lucas looked up at me. He then suddenly jumped. Rubbing against his leg was Chocolate. Lucas quickly went down and picked up Chocolate. "Chocolate, why do you disappear and reappear when we aren't expecting it?" Chocolate just began to let out a faint purr, as Lucas rubbed his belly. "Now then, Chocolate, make sure that Lucas doesn't do anything rash."

Lucas looked up at me. "Good luck."

"When my match is over, I'll be right over to get back my cat." I said.

I made sure that Lucas went back into Ness' room. Suddenly Mewtwo teleported beside me. "I'll make sure that he doesn't do something stupid." Mewtwo reassured me. "I'll be watching the match. Break a leg."

"Break a leg?"

"Wishing good luck is generally bad luck upon performers." Mewtwo explained. "That's why I said break a leg."

"Okay. Thanks. And Mewtwo, about Dr. Mario's medical files-"

"Don't worry about it." Mewtwo said. "You won't be the last person who looks through them. Others have gone through them to see why their opponent didn't show up to the match. The only people Dr. Mario doesn't allow to see the files are the media."

I froze. "Then, how did that person know?"

Mewtwo looked at me confused. "That person?"

I cringed. "Never mind. I'll talk to you later!"

I began to run back down to the stadium. I could only imagine what Lucas and Ness were talking about now in the room. I wondered if Lucas was going to tell Ness the truth. I ran down the stairs, through the twisting halls. Eventually I got to the changing rooms.

Standing in front of the changing room doors was a woman I had never seen before. "You're late!" She said sternly. "Didn't you hear the call a while ago?"

_Yes, but things came up._

I cringed. "Who are you?" I questioned.

"I'm an assistant." she replied. "I'm here to make sure that you are prepared for the fight. You all ready appear to be dressed in your fighter's uniform…"

"Okay, can I go now?" I asked.

"No." She said, pulling out a box, she opened it and inside was a watch. "Put it on." She ordered. I did so. "This watch doesn't tell time, rather it tells you the damage percentage of those who are participating in the fight. It will constantly switch between you and Marth during the fight at 5 second intervals. In case you lose track of who's percentage you're looking at there will be a small picture of your or Marth's head. And in the background there will be a symbol representing the franchise that you come from."

I noticed Marth's symbol was a sword. While mine seemed to be a dragon.

"There is one other thing you need." The assistant said. She pulled out a small jewel box, one that would normally hold a ring. She opened it up, and inside was a necklace. At the end of the necklace, there was a strange pendant, shaped like that of a Smash Ball. "Don't take this off. Not even after the match." She said.

"Why, what does it do?"

"Absolutely nothing." She replied. "Just wear it, its better if you don't ask questions."

_If it does absolutely nothing, why do I need it?_

She walked away and I went into the changing room. In there, sitting on a bench was Marth. "So, you finally decided to show up."

"Yes." I replied. "I've been looking forwards to this fight too."

"Good." Marth replied.

"And I'm looking forwards to beating you!" I said. I figured some friendly smack talk before the match might get rid of a small bit of nervousness that had been building up.

"You think you're special." Marth laughed. "You think you're quite the big shot! Well here is a reality check for you! You aren't! You aren't any different than any of the other thousands from your world who has found their way here! You're a sad, miserable, stain of existence! That's what you are!"

_You really didn't have to be so blunt about it..._

"I won't lose here, I can't lose." I replied. "I'm supposed to be a legendary hero that will save the world!"

Marth really let it all out. "So, they told you that lie too?" He said. "They told you that lie to give you hope and optimism as you're dying. To give someone purpose in their last days! Do you know how many 'legendary heroes' we go through? You would think that you could buy them at the super market. I'm tired of this charade that we subscribe to. I'm tired of this world constantly dragging in other people from yours."

"Then, help me close off the connections to the world. Help me sever those ties." I suddenly said. "I want to go home. I don't want to be here knowing that my days are numbered. Even if I'm supposedly living a fantasy dream come true. There are things I want to do in life, I want to get married, I want to have kids. I want to play video games with them. I want to see their first day of school, and the day they graduate. I want to live."

Marth was surprisingly silent. "You may die to close off the connection. Would it be worth it? You would be unable to fulfill any of those things you wanted to do."

I paused. If there was no point of return, if I had to die to do it, would I be able to? It was here that I realized that everything else had all ready been chosen for me. This would be my first choice that I had in this world. Marth looked rather impatient with the length it was taking for me to make a decision.

"I don't know." I replied.

"You don't know?" Marth asked.

"That's right, I don't!" I said. "You're asking someone to decide to die! But, to prevent another person like The Reaper from coming into this world, I think that it would be worth it. Any dreams and aspirations I have would end. But, if I could save the lives of billions, well, then this sad, miserable stain of existence then at least did something worthwhile!"

Another assistant came into the changing room. "Please follow me." He said.

Marth stood up and I followed. We were led into the stadium and Marth began to warm up on the battlefield. I decided to follow suit and also warm up. I stretched out my legs and swung my arms around.

While stretching I looked up towards the crowd. There was a small group of Smashers bunched together in some VIP seating. There were people from the media in a media booth, some cameras and video cameras were set up. Up above there was a scoreboard that currently said:

Marth VS Nugai

00:00:00

Thousands of faces looked down at me. And I began to feel nervous. I glanced back at Marth, he was also looking at me.

Marth and I stared at each other. "Look at this place." he said. "All of them are looking forwards to this match. Don't worry I'll be sure to humiliate you as much as possible!"

"You can still back out now..." I said grabbing onto my beam sword.

"Funny," Marth laughed. "I was going to say that to you!"

He drew his sword and shifted his stance. I stared. "This match is 4 stock, with items turned on along with the premier of a new item the Smash Ball!" The announcer said. "Betting is now closed! There will be five minutes until the match while the stage is decided by the council!"

Everything was silent. In my ears I could hear my heart beating. It was deafening much like a drum. "Do you really think that beating me will restore your honor?" I asked Marth. He just looked at me and scoffed.

"No." Marth laughed. "My honor as a warrior means nothing to me, I only started fighting to save my country. I was humiliated in that match against Pichu, and I knew that the media would blow that loss out of proportion. But I don't care about that now."

"You said something about others, all of these other legendary heroes." I said. "Were they why you were bitter towards me?"

"I refuse to accept you as the one sent here to defeat the Reaper. I fought him once, he was an arrogant guy. But he was skilled. If you can't beat me here today you won't be able to scratch the Reaper!"

"Was it all just an act?"

"Some of it. I really did hate you... You appear out of nowhere, bet on Pichu, and win big. But part of that battle was my fault... I was cocky, I sprained my ankle before the fight, and was just in an irritable mood that day."

"Tell me... Why did you enter this?" I asked. "Why did you join the Smashers?"

Marth just smiled. "At one time I thought it would be fun I guess." Marth laughed. "And for the first little while it was... but then it just got serious... In a lot of ways you remind me of the Reaper. I'm sure if you weren't destined to kill each other you could have been friends in a different time and place."

"Two minutes to the battle." The announcer announced.

"But the time for small talk is over, it's the time for action now. Give it your all and surpass me. But know I won't make it easy!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" I smiled.

"He smiled like that too before the battle. But his reason was different than yours... his was sadistic. You smile because you're having fun..." Marth said. "Bring it... human."

This caught me off guard. "We're both human though..."

"I remember his words... _'I'm human, you are just data made for our enjoyment. You're not real Live in shame and know your place!'_ he said them to me after I was defeated."

"Thitrty Seconds!"

I was rattled. I didn't know how to respond. "I don't know what to say... For the past 10 days you guys are all I remember, and you're real enough for me... Let's fight this battle as friends and look back at it and smile!"

"Three!"

Marth smiled.

"Two!"

"Yes, lets..." Marth laughed.

"One!"

"Fight!" We both shouted at the same time.

"GO!"

We were on a perfectly flat platform. "Final Destination!" The announcer said. There was nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

The two of us ran for each other. We jumped into the air, and slashed our swords. The sound o fmetal hitting metal rang out. I didn't have much time to ponder how a blade of energy made a metallic sound, since Marth quickly went on the offensive.

He ran towards me and began to rapidly thrust his sword. I jumped into the air and over him to avoid the attack, however Marth quickly rolled backwards and was right in front of me again. This time I quickly threw a kick at him, however he swung with his sword. Somehow, when the two collided, my foot wasn't cut off.

I was temporarily surprised, however this was long enough for Marth to rush in and slash me with his sword. "You still receive damage!" he said. "Just your limbs aren't cut off."

"I figured that out." I said, slashing my beam sword towards Marth. He got hit and was sent a few inches back. Quickly I ran towards Marth and used a palm thrust on his abdomen. He was pushed back several feet. I quickly threw a roundhouse kick at Marth, however he blocked it with his sword.

"I'm glad this isn't like he first season." Marth laughed. "Back then, Link told me something was wrong with the damage calculation, and any attacks on the Master Sword gave him damage."

"Consider yourself lucky." I taunted.

I heard a sound behind me. Quickly I jumped back and picked up an item that had fallen on the ground. A strange white ball. I didn't know what it was, so I threw it at Marth. Upon contact multicolored smoke began to come out, not to mention that it was apparently adhesive and was sticking to him.

_Please have breathing problems!_

Marth however just rushed towards me. The smoke was actually covering his moves, making it harder to read. I swung my sword, hoping that I had created enough wind to push away the smoke, however, any smoke that was pushed away was quickly replaced by more pouring out of the ball.

_Just how much smoke does it have?_

As soon as I ended that question, the smoke stopped coming out of the ball. Marth quickly slashed me and followed it up with a combo, stabbing me several times. I glanced down at the watch. 70%. Marth was at a low 20%.

Marth rushed towards me and swung his sword, this time I quickly put up a barrier. Marth however cut through it. I was actually terrified. "I don't believe it!"

"Sorry, you've only been making barriers for a week," Marth scoffed. "As opposed to me who has been able to make them for several years."

I quickly delivered a kick sending Marth sliding a few feet back.

_This is bad, Marth can beat me in sword combat, I can't block the attack, and now all I have is my own physical strength! And against that sword, I'm just going to be fighting a losing battle!_

Another item dropped on the ground. This one appeared to be a gun. I grabbed it and pulled the trigger, however it began to make a sound as though it was charging. As Marth rushed towards me the gun fired a giant energy ball. Marth was actually surprised, and was hit sending him flying off of the edge. Quickly he recovered.

Anticipating that, I began to charge up the gun again. However a smile appeared on Marth's face. This time when it fired, it hit Marth but a strange sound was made, and suddenly the giant energy ball hit me and sent me flying.

There was an explosion of colors and I was above Final Destination on a revival platform. I now noticed a strange badge on Marth's clothing, he must of picked that up when he recovered. I dropped down, perhaps feeling a bit of pressure, I rushed towards Marth and began to wildly swing my beam sword. I got in several hits, however Marth remained perfectly calm.

He quickly rolled behind me, and slashed upwards, however I blocked the attack with my beam sword. Temporarily shocked, I took this as an opportunity to hit him with my elbow in the abdomen. He stepped back, rather annoyed. I slashed down my sword, this time he was unable to block it and was sent flying. He did his best to recover, however he was unable to reach the platform, and fell down, exploding into a bunch of colors.

Marth reappeared on the floating platform, not at all irritated that he was knocked out. "Three stock remain." He said dropping down.

Another item appeared, this one was a Smash Ball. It floated in the air. A smile crossed Marth's face. Quickly he ran for it and jumped into the air, slashing his sword against it, however it didn't break. I ran for Marth, slashing my beam sword, and getting a clean hit in. Quickly I turned my attention to the Smash Ball. I followed suit and attacked it. However, the Smash Ball didn't break, instead it just flew to the other end of Final Destination.

Quickly Marth and I ran for the Smash Ball. While running we began to fight with our swords, both of us trying to prevent the other from reaching it. I quickly swung my foot down, trying to trip up Marth, he fell and I ran for the Smash Ball. I slashed it and suddenly my body felt strange. Marth was clearly nervous, he didn't know what my Final Smash was.

Then two things of the utmost importance occurred to me.

The first, I didn't know how to activate the Final Smash.

The second, I never decided on what my Final Smash was.

_FFFFF- Mewtwo how do you activate the Final Smash!_

Marth didn't wait for me to attack. He ran in directly towards me. I dodged, and figured there was only one thing to do. Ooze with passion, scream loudly, and hope that my Final Smash manifested itself out of thin air!

It didn't work as planned.

I got the scream loudly part down, but that was more in terror. "How the hell do you activate the Final Smash!" I shouted.

And then there was silence. Marth stared blankly at me. "Just say a one liner or a loud scream or something while doing an overly dramatic pose."

"Fine then." I punched my hand against my fist. "**Let's finish this!**" I don't know how but my voice suddenly echoed. I suddenly felt much stronger. I rushed towards Marth with a speed he could barely keep up, and a delivered several punches. The attack sent Marth flying backwards, he was clearly not expecting my Final Smash to be like this.

I drew my beam sword and swung it, it's reach suddenly seemed much longer, and it hit Marth sending him flying off of the platform. He tried to recover, however I punched the air and the air pressure sent him flying away, and exploding into a bunch of colors.

He was down to two lives, I was still at three. I still had the advantage. And my Final Smash hadn't ended yet.

However Marth didn't get off of the revival platform. He just stood there. "**Get down here!**" I said. "**What ar**e you waiting for?"

"Your Final Smash to end." Marth calmly replied, stepping off of the platform.

_Oh, crap…_

Marth ran towards me, however he suddenly stopped. I stared puzzled. It was then I heard something hissing. I glanced behind my shoulder, I hadn't noticed but a bob-omb had appeared behind me and activated, it then exploded. I was sent flying towards Marth, who was ready with several sword attacks.

I managed to stay on the platform; however I had received a great deal of damage. And in a moment, my one life lead would be rendered useless.

I don't know if it was the after effects of the Final Smash but my eyes were beginning to get blurry.

_Crap, what now? Why now?_

* * *

Once again, I was in that room. I looked at the screen. I was actually shocked to see that it wasn't myself on the screen but rather Roy.

"Well, since you humiliated me last time with Pichu, I figured I should learn that trick." Someone said.

I didn't know how to react, I thought I was alone in this room. And his voice, it was familiar... it was the exact same as the person who called me last night. I looked over, but he was concealed in the shadows.

My mouth moved on it's own and words escaped. "Your just a sore loser, it takes more than just that to beat me. Do you think you can win with a trick that you just learned?"

My eyes focused back on the screen. Marth rushed for Roy and slashed down his sword.

* * *

I was brought back to the battlefield. Marth had done the exact same move and had slashed through my shoulder. If this was a normal fight, I'd be dead right now. Instead I just felt a bit of force on my shoulder.

"Don't daze off!" Marth snapped. "Fight me seriously!"

"Okay!" I replied kicking him in the side and forcing him away from me.

"I didn't come here to lose!" Marth snapped.

"Neither did I." I replied.

"To be beaten by a newcomer, it would be embarrassing."

I did my best to remain calm. Everyone was counting on me. I wouldn't let them down! Unforutnately, I was at a prefect distance for Marth to hit me with the tip of his sword. The attack sent me flying away and exploding in bright colors.

"I don't believe this." I muttered. Focusing my attention back at Marth as I stepped off of the revival platform.

Marth rushed towards me. This time I swung my sword towards him, slashing across his chest. Quickly I did everything in my power to make sure that Marth couldn't attack me. I stayed at a distance, where his sword couldn't reach.

"Nugai! Nugai!" The crowds cheered.

"Shut up, that isn't my name!" I shouted back. This was a bad idea, as Marth immediately rushed in and attacked me. The one moment I was distracted allowed Marth to unleash a combo which badly damaged me. I looked at the watch. I was currently at 82%.

Then another Smash Ball appeared. Marth immediately ran for it and slashed it. I ran over to try and get the Smash Ball to even the playing field, however Marth was ready for me. He threw something at me. I don't know what it was, but when it hit, it exploded in a flash of light and I was in a daze. Everything was spinning around me.

I then heard the Smash Ball breaking. I could make out Marth landing in front of me and swinging his sword. He then rushed right for me.

Marth's sword stabbed right through me. I wanted to let out a scream of pain. But, it strangely didn't hurt. There I was, standing there with a sword impaled through my abdomen, going right through several of my internal organs. But yet, it didn't hurt.

I suddenly went flying, and exploded in another blast of color.

I stepped off of the revival platform. This was it, this was my final life.

"I won't lose!" I shouted. "I won't lose against you!"

I ran towards Marth and slashed my beam sword. He also slashed his sword. Our weapons clashed, creating sparks. I went all out, getting a few hits on Marth, but he also had attacked me several times. We attacked each other and pushed each other back. At my feet was another bob-omb. I picked it up and immediately threw it.

Marth however just jumped into the air to dodge the bob-omb.

I didn't know at what point I stopped trying to win, at what point I realized that it was probably hopeless to win, where I decided to just have fun, and when I let Marth know I wasn't going down without a fight. I looked at the watch. All the small scratches I had received had accumulated themselves to 94%. The most I probably could do was at least knock Marth down to one stock.

I ran for Marth. It was reckless, stupid, and a big mistake. Marth just smiled, in his hand was something, a green shell. He threw it and it hit me sending me flying.

The match was over. The virtual backdrop disappeared, and we appeared on the ring. I lied on the ground. Defeated.

"This game's winner is Marth!"

The audience applauded.

Marth approached me and stretched out his hand. "It was a good match." Marth said smiling. He helped me up off of the ground.

_He enjoyed it... that's good..._

I smiled. "I'm sure everyone enjoyed watching it." Marth motioned towards the audience. "But still... I must apologize for everything, the way I've been acting up until this point. Mewtwo set everything up and ordered me to act like this..."

But I couldn't help but feel down. "Because of me, now Mewtwo, Roy, Pichu, and Dr. Mario will have to leave..."

"Dr. Mario is staying. We need someone to tend to our wounds after all. It just turned out that he couldn't balance between being a Smasher and a Doctor." Marth replied. "Roy has duties to return to for his kingdom. His father is ill and will soon pass away. Pichu although is leaving the Smashers, he can't leave due to legal matters. He would be out in the world without a guardian. He is staying with his father Pikachu. As for Mewtwo, he never was one for company. I thought he was going to stay to train the new comers but who knows."

"So I was tricked. Mewtwo just used all these coincidences to motivate me. And even if I won I would be unable to change them leaving."

"Don't worry, things always work out." Marth said. "I'm sure you'll figure something out, after all you're destined to save this world, aren't you?"

"To be honest," I muttered. "I don't think of myself as someone as who can save this world."

"Why's that?"

"If I can't even beat you, what are the chances I have against something else?" I replied. I didn't hear Marth's response. The battle had taken its toll on me. Perhaps combined with the lack of sleep the moment I closed my eyes I lost consciousness.

* * *

Once again I was in that black room. "How was that?" The voice asked. I was looking at the result screen. Marth had won.

"You're good." My voice replied. "I didn't expect you to improve that much since two weeks ago."

"I wasn't going to lose to you again." He laughed. His voice… it was the exact same as that person I had met in the halls.

Who was this person? What was this room?

"It's three in the morning now." He sighed, checking his watch. "Guess we should be going to sleep now. We can play some more when we wake up."

I just nodded. A few seconds later I felt my head going against a pillow.

* * *

When I opened my eyes I was greeted with the all too familiar ceiling of the hospital wing. Around me I could feel the presence of several Smashers. "He's awake!" Lucas said.

I moved my head and saw Lucas sitting on a chair. In another chair was Ness, who was dressed in the hospital gown.

Also there was Mewtwo and Marth. Dr. Mario also was standing in the doorway with a clipboard in his hands. "I have to say Nugai, that was an entertaining fight."

"That's not my name. Stop saying it." I snapped back.

"Nugai, are you feeling all right?" Marth wondered.

"Nugai, I thought you told me not to do anything crazy." Lucas said.

I just sighed. Until I remembered my own name I guess it would work as a placeholder. Even if I remembered my own name, would they still call me that?

"Well, as far I can tell you're fine, just exhausted." Dr. Mario said. "So try not to do anything else that is strenuous today."

I weakly laughed. "I didn't plan on it."

"Okay, that's good." Dr. Mario said. "Everyone else, can you just leave for a few seconds."

They left as per the doctor's orders. He just looked down at me and began to take my pulse. "You know, I don't think you needed everyone else out of here just to take my pulse." I muttered.

"There are a few things I want to ask you." Dr. Mario replied. "I know you went into my files and saw Lucas'."

_Ah crap…_

"Yes…"

"Why did you look into it?"

I realized that the reason why he was taking my pulse was to make sure I wasn't lying.

"Someone told me that Lucas was suicidal. I wanted to double check that."

"I see." Dr. Mario replied. "And who was this person?"

"I don't know." I replied.

Dr. Mario let go of my wrist. "Very well then, you are free to go, don't do anything stupid now."

"Of course." I replied.

I got out of the bed and walked towards the door. I walked out of the room, and looked at everyone in the hallway. Marth had all ready left, and Mewtwo was still floating there. "Well, I'm free to go." I said.

"Then I'll see you around." Mewtwo said teleporting away.

I looked at Lucas, and Ness. "So Lucas, Ness? What are you guys going to do?"

"Unfortunately I have to stay here for the night." Ness muttered. "So I'm stuck here."

"I see. Well, I'm not staying in the hospital wing any longer, it sucks to be you Ness!" I said walking away.

"Sorry Ness, but I'm going to go with Nugai!" Lucas said. I didn't even bother trying to correct him. Lucas just ran after me. "Nugai, can we talk about your match."

"No, not really." I muttered, wanting to forget about it.

"What was it like?" He had so many questions that I tried my best to answer. His questions went from the matches themselves, to if I felt nervous. Finally he asked the question that I was dreading. "You got Dr. Mario to stop me from fighting, didn't you?"

"Yeah." I replied.

"Why?"

"You seemed like you wanted to fight with Ness as your first Smash Bros Match." I replied.

He nodded. "Yeah, I wanted that to happen."

"Well, Mewtwo said it was the only way, you would have to fight someone else if Ness wasn't capable of fighting."

Lucas nodded. "Then during my Debut match, will you be watching and cheering me on?"

"Of course, we newcomers have got to stick together." I replied.

Lucas smiled. "Can I show you something?" He asked.

I sighed. "I guess so." I was tired, it had been a long day and quite frankly, I wanted to go to bed and fall asleep. Lucas however began to lead the way.

"So, where are we going?" I wondered.

"Outside." Lucas said.

"Outside?" I questioned.

"You know, fresh air, snow? All that stuff!"

I just sighed. "Can this wait until tomorrow?" I asked as a yawn began to escape me

"No," Lucas replied.

I sighed, we eventually got outside. "What do you want to show me?" I asked.

He turned around and pointed at the Smash HQ. Someone had put lights across it. It illuminated the night. "Isn't this nice? I never had seen anything like this while I was in Nowhere Islands."

"Where I come from, I've seen it every single year." I replied. "Building and houses are always lit up like that."

"Really?" Lucas said. "I'd love to see them."

I honestly had no idea, but quite frankly, I was in the cold without a jacket on, I was freezing. I wanted to get back inside. However, standing at the door was someone I didn't want to see.

It was that same reporter.

I glared at him. "Why are you still here?" I asked

"Now, now Nugai, please no hostility!"

"I'm glad I met up with you. I wanted to ask you a few questions. How did you know all that? How did you know about Lucas?"

He just laughed. "I know a lot of things."

"But how?" I shouted.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" he taunted. "I was almost willing to tell you, but if you're going to treat me like that it looks like I'll just leave."

He began to walk away. In a bout of frustration I shouted. "Do you think this is just a game?"

He glanced back at me, with a terrifying smile across his face. "Yes." He replied.

I suddenly froze. It was at that moment that something clicked inside my head. I knew who this person was, and he was dangerous.

"I look forward to seeing you again." He said.

There was no doubt in my mind. He was the Reaper.

Lucas also looked like he had figured it out. When the person was gone I confirmed. "Was that who I think it was?" Lucas just nodded.

"At least I think it was." Lucas replied. "I've never actually seen him before… Very few have and lived to tell about it."

We went back into the Smash HQ, and we both separated to go to our own rooms. Upon reaching my room I went in and collapsed on the bed.

"Now that I'm done that battle, I need to find a way out of this crazy world." I muttered.

I closed my eyes.

"Tomorrow…"

My cell phone however began to let off a ring. I reached for it, I had received a new text. It only said one thing.

Survive Nugai

I drifted to sleep.

To be continued…


	12. Day 11: Hidden Truth

Day 11: Hidden Truth

I woke up and just stared at the ceiling. I smiled. Even though I now had 25 more days to live I just couldn't stop smiling. Slowly I got up and quickly took a shower and got changed. I didn't know what to do. Mewtwo would have nagged me telling me that I would have to get ready for my fight with Marth, but now that it was over I had nothing else to do.

I went down and got breakfast. I noticed that Ness had been discharged from the hospital wing.

I glanced at my cell phone once again. It happened so late last night I thought it was just a dream. But there it was, a text that just said "Survive Nugai" I just decided to text back

"Who are you?"

I wasn't expecting anything to return, however a minute later I received another text.

"A friend. You've been lied to, go talk to the Manager."

It took me several seconds to read over the text.

_I've been lied to? What does that mean?_

"Why?" I texted.

A minute later a text returned. "Trust me. Go now."

Against my better judgement I stood up and walked out of the cafeteria. I don't know why I was suddenly listening to a mysterious person sending me text messages, who seemed to know every single thing about me. Looking back, this was pretty stupid.

I had made it to the Manager's office. Using aura I could tell that she was in there.

I pressed my ear against the door listening to the conversation. I really shouldn't have, but as they say: curiosity killed the cat, and it was about to kill me.

"It was a success." The Manager said. "The program works; with it we will be able to defeat the Reaper!"

"Does he know that he was being used as an experiment?"

"No sir!"

I was frozen in fear. I knew they were talking about me. "The plan worked perfectly."

"It was a convincing show." The mysterious voice replied. "And an absolutely amazing battle. Soon the Reaper will be gone."

"We just need a way to insert the program. Unlike the test subject The Reaper won't be unconscious, and won't be as gullible when we insert it! It will be a lot harder..."

"We will take those sacrifices. They will be remembered as heroes who died to defeat The Reaper. Now then he must never find out! Eliminate him!"

"Understood sir!"

I just backed up and ran away. I felt betrayed. I was used. I knew now that they didn't care for me. To them I was just a test subject. Persecuted and treated as though I could become just like The Reaper because of my origins. Eventually I tripped and fell down onto two people. Ness and Lucas. I looked at them afraid and tried to get up and run however they tried stopped me.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

I had become paranoid and quickly ran away from them.

_Who can I trust?_

I grabbed the Beam Sword that was at my waist and decided that I had to confront him... or 'it', since technically he doesn't have a gender... Anyways I had to confront Mewtwo.

"Nugai, where are you going in such a hurry?" Ness asked, having caught up.

"Do you know where Mewtwo is?" I asked.

"The cafeteria." Ness quickly replied.

I rushed off to the cafeteria to find that Mewtwo was sitting alone. I walked up to him. "We need to talk." I whispered.

"About what?" He casually replied.

"About the past ten days!" I replied. "How everything has been a set up for testing some program that was injected into me that makes me unable to defeat any one!"

Mewtwo shot me a look. "We better take this elsewhere." He quickly said. He looked around the room for a few seconds. "Dr. Mario can you come here I think he might be sick!" Suddenly Mewtwo's tail rushed and hit my abdomen winding me. I began to gasp for air. Quickly Dr. Mario rushed over towards us. Then with out warning Mewtwo teleported the three of us to the ruined city. Suddenly Mewtwo lifted up Dr. Mario and placed him on a giant floating stone slab. I looked up at Mewtwo who looked all kinds of pissed off.

"Stop Mewtwo!" A voice shouted. Rushing towards us was Ness and Lucas. Apparently they had followed me to the cafeteria and were also teleported.

"I will when I have answers! When did you inject it, the experimental serum?" Mewtwo shouted. I had never seen him this angry and judging by Dr. Mario's and Ness' reactions neither had they.

"After his fight with Lucario!" Dr. Mario replied.

"Why!"

"The Manager told me to!" Dr. Mario cried.

The ruined buildings began to shatter. Dr. Mario began to squirm fearing for his life. "Then you better start talking. Tell us all you know!" Mewtwo said while lowering the slab that Dr. Mario was on.

"I don't know a lot..." Dr. Mario said becoming calmer and calmer. "But... they do know now where you have taken him. I did a scan of the injection before administering it. In it were Nanomachines. They can track him anywhere. And most likely they are coming here right now... She approached me after he had fallen and been administered to the hospital. She gave me a vial and gave me rather explicit instructions to inject this into you and to never tell anyone. I questioned her but she reassured me that this would be the first step in defeating the Reaper. If this worked..."

"That's enough." Mewtwo said. "They've used us all."

"Mr. Mewtwo, what's going on?" Lucas asked confused.

"A lot Lucas." Mewtwo replied. "Damn, she had this all planned out. It was her idea to have Lucario ambush you and use that to see how much you had progressed during your training. She must have approached Lucario after I informed him, feeding him lies to ensure that you would be admitted to the hospital. How did you find out?"

"I overheard her and some person talking when I went to visit her office." I replied. Deciding that it was probably best to leave out the whole mysterious person texting me telling me to go and see the Manager.

"The Operator most likely... His real name is Great Thunder."

"They said I must never find out... Or perhaps they were talking about someone else." Off in the distance we could all hear a vehicle approaching us quickly. Everyone panicked thinking that it was The Manger.

"It can't be her..." Mewtwo said. "It takes a lot longer than that to get here from the Smash HQ."

"Can we destroy the Nanomachines?" I asked.

"In theory we should be able to." Dr. Mario said. "At least we should be able to shut them down..."

"How?" I nervously questioned

"Um... it might get painful..." Dr. Mario said.

My face suddenly went white. "How painful?"

"Well Nanomachines can shut down with a high enough voltage. Of course there is also the chance of causing the nanomachines to self-destruct. So you will have millions of tiny explosions going on in your body..."

I winced. Neither of the options seemed desirable. Suddenly the vehical that we heard rushed towards us like a blur. It then stopped. Stepping out of it was Captain Falcon. "What are you all doing here?" Captain Falcon asked.

"Talking." Mewtwo replied. "And you?"

"Preparing for the next race that's coming up soon." Captain Falcon laughed. "With all of the obstacles here in the ruined city its quite fun and it can improve your ability to react..."

Mewtwo just nodded.

"Hey Nugai." Captain Falcon said talking to me. "Your match yesterday was great. Too bad you lost though."

"We were just talking about that match." Mewtwo said. "We think it was rigged."

"What?" Captain Falcon said shocked. "Marth wouldn't have done that! Who rigged it?"

"We think the Manager." I said. "Inside my body are thousands of nanomachines. I was being used as a test subject for something to be used against the Reaper... I was never told about it..."

"Okay stop!" Captain Falcon shouted. "Nanomachines? This is beginning to sound like a bad scifi movie."

"Nanomachines are useful for all kind of things though." Dr. Mario said. "Like cleaning up plot holes."

"Nanomachines can do that? Okay this is really stupid."

"Shut up!" Dr. Mario said covering my mouth. "What if Snake hears you?"

"He isn't even here!" I protested.

"But he has ways to get around."

"He hides under a cardboard box!" I protested. I think I was slowly beginning to understand why one would go insane from this place.

"Yeah we all know, we just pretend that we don't notice." Mewtwo said.

"You're just pretending?"

"Well did you think that we were that incompetent?" Mewtwo asked.

"Well no." I replied. "It... was just... well... this world seems to run on nonsense."

"Anyways, we have to talk about the task at hand. We need to get rid of the Nanomachines, and confront the Manager about this!" Mewtwo said.

We all nodded. "How though?" I asked. "The Manager wants me dead!"

"If we all go with you, she won't be able to pull out a gun and shoot you! Or we could wait a few seconds." Mewtwo said.

"Why should we wait a few seconds?" I asked.

Off in the distance there was what sounded like an airplane flying low. We all looked up to see a ship approaching. "She's here." Mewtwo said.

"Crap." I muttered. I had a small feeling that the Manager wouldn't hesitate killing the other Smashers out here in a secluded spot if it came down to it.

The ship landed, and the Manager and her sister stepped out of it. "Everyone, come back, something has come up." The Manager said. "Also, restrain Nugai." However, the Smashers didn't budge. "What are you doing? Restrain him!"

"No!" I shouted. "You're just going to try and kill me!"

The Manager wasn't too amused. "Who told you?" She asked.

"You did!" I replied. "I overheard you talking to someone about an experiment. I didn't know if you were actually referring to me, but going by your reaction, that's a given now!"

The Manager laughed. "So what?" She asked. "You're just a tool! We will just erase your memories and you will die in peace!"

"If you do that you will be no better than the Reaper!" Dr. Mario shouted.

"I don't want to hear about being above the life of others from you!" The Manager coldly said. "If you come quietly, no one will have to get hurt!"

"If I go with you, you'll kill me!"

"So, the question becomes, would you rather all die, or just have one person die." The Manager asked. "Think Smashers!"

I honestly expected them to betray me. However they all stood by my side. "We will fight until the bitter end!" Mewtwo replied.

"We're Smashers!" Ness added on. "And Nugai here is one of us! You're just the Manager!"

"Just the Manager?" She said rather annoyed. "I'll show you what just the Manager can do!"

"Yes, I'd like to see that myself." A new voice said.

Standing in between everyone was a person cloaked in a tardy black cloak. A mask covered his face, and in his hand was a giant scythe. It was clear how he got his name. This person was clearly the Reaper. Everyone was suddenly parralized, and unable to move. He just approached me and placed his hand on my chest.

"Get away from him!" Mewtwo shouted, however it was an empty threat. From inside of me appeared a strange blue ball of spinning energy. His hand reached into it and then pulled out a small piece. The ball then emerged back into me.

"Go!" He said, his voice was raspy, and clearly altered by a machine. "I have removed the Nanomachines from inside of you."

"Why are you helping me?"

"I owed you one." He said. He took the scythe and flew towards the Manger's ship. With one swing of the scythe he cut through the ship. However the Manager and her siser, jumped out of the ship before it had fully exploded.

"I don't know what's going on, but we better get out of here right now!" Mewtwo said tugging on my arm.

We began to run away. The Manager was rather annoyed and pulled out a gun. She fired, and several bullets rushed past us. When we were a fair distance, the Smashers stopped me.

"What did he mean by owed you one?" Ness asked.

"I don't know."

"This amnesia is beginning to be bothersome." Mewtwo sighed.

"Beginning?" I questioned.

We stopped running and looked off into the distance. We couldn't see the Reaper or the Managers. "Can we stop?" Ness asked gasping for the air.

"Yeah, now would be a good time to get some questions answered." Captain Falcon said, not all too amused by this. "Why couldn't we just hand him over?"

"We need to know all of the sides before we make this decision." Mewtwo replied. "I'm going to go with Nugai for right now, until he retains his memory, I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt."

"How graceful they are." The Reaper said. Suddenly, standing amongst us was the Reaper. Everyone stepped back rather afraid.

I was the first person to say something. "What did I do that required you to owe me one?" I asked.

The Reaper just laughed. "Well, you all were talking about that plan to use the Nanomachines to try and stop me. Now then, let's talk Nugai. Is that really what you're calling yourself now? Well, its a stupid enough name, I guess it would fit you."

"Sorry, but I lost my memory when I entered here." I replied.

He laughed. "I see, I could restore your memory, and remove the pointless fear of you dieing in 40 days. All you have to do is swear loyalty to me. I'd even be gracious enough to let all of them go."

I drew my beam sword and pointed it directly at the Reaper. "No." I replied.

There was suddenly a blast of energy that pushed everyone else away. The Reaper once again placed his hand on my chest and the blue ball of light came out once again. "What's going on?" He said rather shocked. "It's badly damaged."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Your source code!" He replied. I looked at the blue light; upon closer inspection it appeared to be a bunch of different bar codes all tied together. "It's damaged. What the hell happened? I've never seen anything like it! Did the Nanomachines do this?"

Two balls of energy came rushing towards us. The Reaper just pushed the source code back into me and swung his giant scythe, cutting through the two balls of energy. Standing there was the Manager and her sister. Both were armed with a Super Scope. "I thought you were going to take my gift of letting you live!" The Reaper said.

"You have to die Reaper!" The Manager shouted.

"Before I kill you, I want to know something." The Reaper said rather annoyed. "What did you do to my little brother?"

_WHAT? I don't need this right now!_

They all looked at me. They all looked as shocked at this revelation as I was. I was confused, I didn't know how to react. "Not biological brothers." Dr. Mario managed to say. "I've gone through both of your DNA, you aren't related by blood."

"Oh good." I muttered. I honestly wouldn't of been able to expect THAT big of a bomb in my life. That must be a great conversation starter. 'Yeah, I'm the brother of a mass murderer... so where did you want to go for dinner again?'

"We only put the nanomachines in him." The Manager replied.

"Bullshit!" The Reaper shouted. "You want me to believe that his source code is that badly damaged by Nanomachines?"

"What are you even talking about?" The Manager asked. "What is this source code?"

I glanced at Dr. Mario and he just gave a shrug. I looked up at Mewtwo. He clearly didn't know what it was either.

The Reaper jumped towards the Manager and her sister. He swung his scythe and they jumped out of the way. "I didn't know the Manager was such a competent fighter." Mewtwo muttered.

"We have to get out of here, otherwise we will be killed." Dr. Mario said, grabbing my wrist. "Mewtwo, can you teleport us out of here?"

"I'd like to, but I've been trying, my power has been blocked for some reason."

"Captain Falcon, you need to take Nugai and get out of here! Go back to the Smash HQ, and tell them about the Manager and what she has done!" Dr. Mario said.

Captain Falcon nodded. "All right, come on Nugai."

We ran past the fighting Reaper, and the Managers. As we were passing them, they seemed to aim several guns towards us. They fired some lasers, however the Reaper blocked the attack. "You must be some person, for the Reaper to be helping you."

"I don't remember." I replied.

We got back to Captain Falcon's Blue Falcon. Surprisingly, it was still in one piece.

We got in, however Captain Falcon immediately drew his gun and put it right up next to my head. "Listen, Nugai, if I find out you've been helping the Reaper, I won't hesitate pulling this trigger." I nodded. As far as I knew I hadn't helped the Reaper. Of course, who knew if that would stand after my memories had been restored. "If I had my way, you would be dead right now."

"I understand." I muttered. Great, now I was fearing for my life…

We sped towards the Smash HQ. Captain Falcon had actually taken a back road with a secret entrance to a private garage, where I could only assume he worked on his machine.

Before we were about to go out back into the Smash HQ, Captain Falcon stopped me. He pointed at a monitor. "I think you should stop and think for a few seconds." I looked up at the monitor. There were a bunch of security guards running around the place. "Something happened."

"What?" I asked.

"I don't know, I just got back here with you. Although there is one way to find out." He went over to a phone and immediately dialed a number; he left it on speaker phone for convenience.

"Hello?" Someone answered.

"Snake, its Captain Falcon. I've been out of the HQ for the morning, what the hell happened?"

"It's that kid, Nugai, the Manager said that he was working with the Reaper. He disappeared, and now everyone is now trying to capture him."

"Snake, that's bullshit." Captain Falcon replied. "I'm with the kid right now. We just fled for our lives from The Manager, she wanted to silence him, and wasn't afraid of killing all of us. He knows something. And for some reason the Reaper was protecting all of us."

"Doesn't that just put more suspicion on Nugai?"

"The first time I met the Reaper was two days ago. He snuck into the press conference for the media!" I protested. "And then we met in the hallways before the match. He was asking for directions for seats."

"Do you swear that that was all?" Snake asked.

"Well, there was something else that he said." I replied. "It was regarding Lucas."

"And what about Lucas?" Snake asked. Even if he wasn't in the room, I was feeling intimidated by him.

I gulped. Captain Falcon was looking at me, his hand was ready to pull out that gun. "He told me that Lucas was suicidal. I thought it was just a bad joke!" I replied.

"That isn't a joke." Snake said. "That kid has seen some pretty dark things. Things that you or I wouldn't be able to imagine."

_Does everybody know about Lucas?_

"Wait, Lucas is actually suicidal?" Captain Falcon said surprised. "Snake how did you know that?"

"Well, I had to do some snooping. 'If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.' After all. It would only be a matter of time before everyone found out anyways, it's in his medical file."

"Well, I'm in my hidden garage." Captain Falcon said. "Tell the other Smashers that for the time being Nugai is innocent, so they don't burn him at the stake."

"Understood." Snake replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief. For the time being I knew some of the Smashers were on my side. Of course, one wrong step and I would be killed rather quickly by all of them. Captain Falcon went over to a machine. "Cofee?" He asked.

"Sure." I muttered.

He poured a pot, and I drank some. I spat out the coffee. "This is disgusting!"

"Yeah, sorry, I brewed it this morning so it's rather old. Not that the coffee was that good in the first place." Captain Falcon laughed. "So, the Reaper is your brother, or at least close enough that you can call yourselves brothers."

"I don't remember a single thing about him though. Some friend I am." I said. "Then again, it might be better this way, at least I can fight against him not knowing who he used to be."

Captain Falcon just nodded. He went back to work at a table, occasionally glancing over towards me. "Here, this might help you out a bit." He said. "Go into my Blue Falcon." I went in and he quickly began to hit various buttons on it. "It's a driving simulator." Captain Falcon explained. "You're going to go on a virtual racecourse. All you need to do is drive through the points, and you will obtain one a capsule. There are 25 capsules in all."

"Okay." I said.

The door closed and suddenly I was on a virtual raceway. Or rather the windows looked more like computer monitors displaying a racing game. I suddenly I felt at ease. Back in my world, I was ungodly nervous when I started driving. For that reason I had trained myself to remain perfectly calm. When driving, my senses would increase and become much better.

Three monitors dropped down in front of me. "3... 2...1..." I put my foot on the gas. "GO!" I began to drive straight ahead, and immediately into two different beacon things. They immediately disappeared. I assumed this is what Captain Falcon meant by driving through the points.

Up next was a boost, which I went through, however, the sense of speed didn't feel real. I didn't seem like I was going very fast or moving at all. I looked down at the dashboard to see that I was currently going 1085 KM/H. I continued going straight; this resulted in me hitting the third point. Suddenly, the course began to turn, I tried to turn with it to get the fourth point, however I missed it, and the following speed boost. I looked ahead, and saw three upcoming points; quickly I put myself back into the center of the race course. I hit the first one, however due to some overcompensation, I missed the second one. Quickly I got back in the middle to hit the third.

"Damn." I muttered.

The next points were separated. I went to the right to try and get the two there. However missed both. "Crap."

After the first lap I had only gotten 10 of the 25 points. "You got Boost Power!" A voice said.

I sped around the course, trying to remember where the points were. I got several more. And by the end of the lap I had obtained 17 of the 25 points. "Now it's time to get serious." I thought. I drove around, this time hitting each of the remaining targets. I breathed a sigh of relief, however the simulation didn't end. "I have to complete the course too?" I questioned. "Geeze..."

I did so, and as I crossed the finish line the course disappeared, and the Blue Falcon opened up.

Captain Falcon stood up. "How was the virtual race?" He asked.

"It was fast." I said. "Is that how you see the world?"

"Partly." Captain Falcon laughed. "It's much better when you race on a real course. Then you can feel the turbulence and the speed."

I stepped out of the racer. "That was fun." I said. "I'd certainly love to try the real thing some time."

Captain Falcon glanced at me. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were an old pro. You drove around like it was second nature."

"I could drive in my world." I said. "I remember driving at least."

"But to be able to react like that. And it was as though you were used to going at 1000 kilometers an hour."

I nervously laughed. While driving, memories began to come back to me. One particular memory was of myself doing that course multiple times, along with several others. "Maybe you're actually the legendary racer Famicom!" Captain Falcon joked.

"Famicom?" I questioned.

"He was a legendary F-Zero racer. They say that he never lost a race that he took part in, and then, one day, he just vanished off of the face of the earth."

"Did you ever race him?" I wondered.

"I wanted to, but, I never had that opportunity." Captain Falcon laughed. "He always wore a mask, so no one even knew who he was. And he never had any interviews either."

I remembered that in my many journeys into this world, I had used the alias Famicom. I hoped that Captain Falcon wouldn't talk anymore about Famicom. Perhaps, granting my wish there was an announcement that blared through the Smash HQ. "Attention every Smasher, this is Snake! I'm calling an emergency meeting at the boardroom."

"Well, looks like, we have to go down to the boardroom." Captain Falcon sighed.

We stepped out of Captain Falcon's garage and he escorted me towards the boardroom. Other Smashers stopped to glare at me, and I braced myself for the glares of death as I entered the boardroom. Snake sat on a chair. "Nugai, sit right here." He said.

Captain Falcon escorted me to beside Snake. Captain Falcon then sat down beside me. Within a few minutes the entire boardroom was filled. "This better be important." Wolf growled.

"It is." Snake said, standing up. In his hands was a file folder.

I looked at Snake confused. "What's with the file folder?" I asked.

He put it on the table. "I've been doing a bit of snooping in the Manager's office." He replied. "Take a look at all of this."

We looked at the file folders. Documents upon documents on the nanomachines. "What are these?"

"These are the documents on the Nanomachines." Snake said. "These are strictly experimental. It was how she was planning on killing the Reaper. The issue is with these being untested. She had actually planned on using the Nanomachines on us to test if they work. However, then Nugai appeared, and she decided to use them on him instead."

"Wait, she planned on using something that could kill us?" Wario said outraged.

I was relieved, now that the Smashers knew that the Manager viewed them as expendable, I was safe.

Suddenly the doors burst open. Standing there was the Manager and her sister. Rai, Sui, and Tei were also behind them. Mewtwo, Lucas, Dr. Mario and Ness were strangely absent. My heart sunk. I was afraid that either the Manager or the Reaper had killed them. "Perfect timing, Miss Manager." Snake smiled. "We were just talking about you. What happened, it looks like you've been through hell?"

"Nugai sold Lucas, Mewtwo, Dr. Mario, and Ness to the Reaper!" She said. "We were barely able to escape. We were rather lucky that Rai, Sui, and Tei were there. Smashers, restrain Nugai!" However the Smashers didn't budge, they just continued to stare at the Managers. "What are you doing, restrain him!"

"I've had enough of your bullshit." Snake growled. "Why don't we get a second opinion on what happened? Kid." Snake pointed at Rai.

"Well, No Name went to talk to the Manager, however he overheard her talking about how the experiment was a success and how she planned on killing him, then he fled. When the Manager found out, she followed, and asked us to come along. And then she went and tried to kill No Name, and turn the Smashers he was with against them, but then they were saved by the Reaper, with the Reaper wanting to repay No Name for letting the Manager talk really loudly about using Nanomachines to kill him. Then they fled, but the Manager caught up, and then Captain Falcon and No Name came back here, while we decided to intervene and stop the Reaper from killing the Manager."

"What happened to the others?" I asked.

"No idea." Tei laughed. "The Manager fled and ordered us to retreat. They could be dead for all we know."

"You're lying!" The Manager shouted outraged. "That isn't what happened!"

"It is." Sui said. "As you know, it is our duty to remain neutral. We have only relayed the truth about what has transpired here today. It was your arrogance that brought you down, you thought of the Smashers as nothing more than pawns for you to order around. Maybe you're no better than the Reaper."

"How dare you even suggest that? He shouldn't be in this world! None of them should! They should all be stopped before they become like the Reaper! If we allow them to continue to walk around they will kill us all. You understand don't you?" She said to Rai, Tei, and Sui. They however just turned away.

"Don't drag us into your battles." Sui said.

The Manager stared outraged at the Smashers. "And what about you? Are you just going to let him walk free? Even if he has talked with the Reaper? He could be the death of you all!"

"He is also a Smasher!" Marth said. "And if those Nanomachines were what caused him to lose the match. What you did is unforgivable!"

"I'm your Manager, none of you would even be able to live alone if it wasn't for me! You all think you're something special? You're nothing without us!"

"Sorry, but I think it's the other way around." Wolf sneered. "You're nothing without us. If it weren't for us, you would just be overseeing some shitty reality TV show, or perhaps some burger joint."

Strangely I had a small craving for hamburgers…

"Who are you going to believe, me or him?"

"Him!" They replied. "He is a Smasher after all."

"He isn't a Smasher! He was just some lab rat we signed up to test a weapon for the Reaper!"

"And he doesn't have a file folder in front of us saying that he was willing to experiment on us for a weapon that could kill the Reaper." Ganondorf added on.

"And he certainly wasn't willing to leave his allies to die." A new voice said. Standing behind the Manager was Mewtwo. "Not to mention, he also has a Smash Ball necklace!"

They all glanced at me, I pulled out the necklace to show them. The Manager seemed infuriated. "I thought I ordered them to take it away!" She growled. Unfortunately for her, nobody in the room was deaf. They just glared at here. For now the Manager was defeated. She stomped away frustrated, and cursing under her breath. All of the Smashers seemed to unanimously decide that it would probably be for the best if they watched over me tonight, however they would decide who at a later time.

The boardroom began to empty. I just constantly looked at the necklace.

"So, what is this necklace?" I asked.

"It's the sign that you're a Smasher, didn't they explain that to you?" Lucas asked.

"No. It was just given to me." I nervously replied.

I noticed that Dr. Mario was leaving the room and quickly chased after him. "Wait, Dr. Mario, I have some questions I want to ask you."

He stopped ant turned to face me. "Okay, in that case please come to my office." He said. I followed him. Somehow I could tell he was on a constant watch, it was as though he was expecting someone to shoot at me from a distance.

When we got to the office, we both sat down in chairs and began to talk. "I guess you would be the person who would know this the best, who exactly are Rai, Sui and Tei?"

Dr. Mario chuckled. "Sorry, I'm not someone who knows that. They are quite the enigma."

"Why do they remain neutral?" I asked.

"You're asking the wrong person." Dr. Mario sighed. "I'd imagine that they are so powerful that they don't want to support any side. Perhaps they feel that they don't want to influence things more than what is necessary. If you're just going to ask me questions about them, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"What is a Source Code?" I asked Dr. Mario.

Dr. Mario just sat there. "I don't know." He replied. "This term is new to me."

"The Reaper said my Source Code was damaged." I explained.

"I see." Dr. Mario said. "Perhaps your Source Code being damaged has something to do with your amnesia, and your lower than normal life expectancy. Of course, that's just a useless guess. All I can say is relax, and we will try to figure this out soon."

I nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."

I stood up and walked out of the office. Standing there, waiting for me was Lucas and Ness. "So, since Mewtwo said that we weren't supposed to take our eyes off of you, you're coming to sleep in my room."

I looked down at them.

_Gee, I'm stuck babysitting. Thanks' Mewtwo._

"It won't be babysitting." Ness replied, having read my mind. "We can take care of ourselves… Well at least I can, Lucas still wets his bed sometimes."

"I do not!" Lucas protested. He still wasn't a good liar. I made a mental note to work on that tonight.

"With what Lucas has gone through, I think that's allowed." I said. I could only imagine having nightmares every single night watching the most painful moment's of my life over and over again. Deep down, I knew Lucas was strong, any lesser person probably would have successfully killed themselves.

We got up to Ness' room and he opened up the door. Immediately Ness ran to his bed and jumped on it. "I'm keeping my bed. You two can fight between the couch and the floor."

"Look, I'm pretty sure, the Manager isn't going to try anything else." I protested. "I'm perfectly fine, I can sleep by myself."

Ness however didn't hear me. Instead he went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked. "Unfortunately, I don't have anything alcoholic."

_You're how old?_

"Not even the Smashers who are of age are even allowed to have alcohol in their fridges."

_Oh crap… I hope my fridge is okay._

"The Network wants to make sure that no one does something stupid, since it would be a PR disaster." Ness laughed. "You should have seen Mewtwo and alcohol!"

_Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!_

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

"I can't tell you…" Ness nervously replied. "Mewtwo would kill me. Let's just say the property damage was in the billions."

"I'll take some orange juice then." I sighed.

Ness poured a glass of orange juice and passed it to me. I began to drink it.

We sat down and watched some TV. Ness had placed it on an old match. Dr. Mario VS Ganondorf. Partway through one of the matches the phone began to ring. Ness immediately answered it. "Hello." He said. Both Lucas and I glanced at him, each trying to discern what the conversation was about. Eventually he hung up the phone and let off a heavy sigh. "Well, it looks like I'm going to have to fight you tomorrow Lucas."

Lucas smiled. "I can't wait. Hopefully we can have a good match."

"Now if you pardon me, I'm going to go get some ice cream." Ness said, walking towards the door, however I grabbed his wrist and immediately punched him in the stomach. Ness fell onto the ground and Lucas gasped in shock.

"Not on my watch you aren't!" I replied.

"Damn it, that hurt!" Ness muttered.

"That was the idea." I replied. "No ice cream for you tonight! I'm going to make sure you fight Lucas."

Perhaps this wasn't a good idea. Ness struggled to get back up and immediately lunged at me, causing me to hit the floor hard. It seemed as though he had used some of his psychic energy to give him a bit more force.

Lucas just stood there completely shocked.

Ness made sure I wasn't getting up. He pinned my shoulders to the ground. I questioned how much he weighed, either he was strong, or I was pathetically weak. I didn't think a kid his size would be capable of holding me down. "Get off of me, or I'm telling Lucas." I calmly said.

He suddenly stood up.

"Tell me what?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing." Ness replied. "Now, let's get back to watching some matches!"

We watched a few more matches. I eventually decided to talk to Ness. "Ness, can I talk to you, alone?" I asked.

"Sure." Ness said.

We stepped out into the hallway. He seemed to be the first to ask a question. "Why did you punch me?"

"I didn't want you to throw the match again, I thought that was obvious." I replied. "Why don't you want to fight Lucas?"

"I can't fight against him." Ness replied. "He's gone through too much. How can he smile like that after all he's experienced?" I didn't know how to react. "He saw his mother die, he saw his brother commit suicide!"

"He needs support." I managed to say. "Somebody to lean on and help him. I think he can smile because you're there, along with the rest of the Smashers, they are helping him move forwards and fill in the holes in his life."

Ness just began to cry. "It's just too sad!" he said. "I don't know what I'd do without my parent's or my sister!"

I did the first thing that came to my mind. I just placed my hand's on Ness' shoulders and looked at him. "I know you're strong. You're going to fight Lucas tomorrow! You're going to give him the match that he deserves! Do you understand?"

He nodded, once he had wiped away the tears we went back into his room to watch several more matches.

* * *

**Notes:**

**Famicom is the alias that Captain Falcon used during the story Mode of F-Zero GX. Which of course was a reference to the Family Computer, what the NES was called in japan.**

**The Rai, Tei, and Sui here are different than the characters with the same name in some of my other fics.**

**I have a poll in my profile. Please vote, I'm curious about when people want an epilogue posted. Either the same day as the last chapter, or the following day after the last chapter is posted.**


	13. Day 12: Eternal Bonds

Day 12: Eternal Bonds

It took me several seconds to remind myself why I wasn't in my room.

I was sleeping on the floor of Ness' room. For the remainder of the night he hadn't done anything stupid, and sat there watching some old matches. He seemed a bit egotistical that he constantly wanted to focus on his matches, and he constantly gloated about the outcome in the matches he won. I figured that he was just showing them to Lucas, so he knew what to expect when they finally got their match under way.

I looked up at the ceiling and slowly got up. I made it to the washroom and after doing my business I went to the fridge to see if there was anything I could snack on. There wasn't that much.

Lucas seemed to be tossing and turning in his sleep. I was actually rather surprised that they could sleep through all of the noise I was making.

"Mom!" I heard him cry out.

I wondered what kind of person Lucas' mother was. And then I wondered what kind of people my parents were. I glanced at my cell phone. It was useless; it had no pictures of anything that looked familiar. There were mostly just pictures of Chocolate.

_I must have been a sad and lonely man..._

I poured myself a glass of orange juice, and sat down at a small kitchen table meant for a single person.

"Mom! Claus!" Lucas cried out.

I began to walk over to Lucas, to wake him from his nightmare, however I slipped on a discarded sock and fell down, smashing my head against the floor. The next few moments was filled with extremely loud swearing, and nothing else.

When I had calmed down, it was no surprise that the two of them had woken up. Both of them looking at me. "Damn it, that hurt." I muttered getting back up.

"Sorry about that." Ness nervously laughed, seeing the sock that I had slipped on. "I don't exactly clean up that often due to not having guests in here, and I told Chibi Robo to not worry about my mess."

I don't know if I hit my head too hard, because Lucas and Ness were no longer super deformed. They seemed to be proportioned like a regular human beings. "Good morning." I managed to say not trying to sound shocked.

"Well, talk about a rude awakening." Ness joked. "Well come on." Ness helped me up. Lucas seemed a bit hesitant to move from his spot on the couch. A quick whiff of the air would determine why. I guess either the nightmare, the sudden waking, or my several minutes of constant swearing had scared him to the point where he had an accident. Ness glanced at Lucas. "I told you he still wet's the bed."

"He was having another nightmare." I replied. "I heard him before I fell."

"Well, regardless, I better call Chibi Robo!" Ness sighed.

Lucas was clearly embarrassed. His face was red, and he was about ready to tear up. Ness just passed Lucas some of his clean clothes. He then directed him to the washroom. Several seconds later the shower turned on. Ness just sat on his bed. "Well, I guess we have a few minutes to kill."

I sat back down at the chair at the table. "Is something bothering you?"

"Yeah." I replied, I tried to think up a quick excuse. "I'm not sure when my next match will be."

"Don't worry about it." Ness replied. "They will call you. But, since the Manager seems to hate your guts right now, I don't think she will put you in any matches. Then again, you might go into overdrive, and she might try to get you so exhausted you die."

_Well, that wasn't exactly reassuring. _

"I don't know why... My days are numbered anyways. She just has to put up with my very existence for the next 23 days. It can't be that hard... Although I do have to ask a question, Ness, is it okay to assume that there are some Smashers who will side with the Manager on me?"

Ness let off a heavy sigh. "There are those who will affiliate you with the same stigma as the Reaper for coming from that world." Ness replied.

I knew that all too well, the fact that Captain Falcon would blow my brains out without a moment of hesitation was enough proof. "And, whose side are you on?" I asked.

Ness sat there terrified.

"Are you with those who think I'll be just like the Reaper, or do you think I won't kill you all!"

"That's false dichotomy and you know it." Ness replied.

"Fine, what do you think about me?" I asked.

Ness just sighed.

"Do I have to answer?" Ness asked.

"For my own personal security, yes." I replied.

Ness sighed. "Well, I'm having a much harder time deciding since I was there when the Reaper called you his brother."

_Ah yes, how could I forget about that... _

"If you regain your memories, will you ever forget about us?"

"No, I won't." I replied.

Ness smiled. "Then in that case, I'll believe in you."

"And what about Lucas?" I asked.

"He isn't the type of person to judge people." Ness replied. "At least that's what I think. You may have to ask him yourself."

The water stopped and Ness grabbed the remote to the TV. He immediately began to search for something to watch. He decided on an old match of a team battle. Mario and Link VS Bowser and Ganondorf. Lucas eventually stepped out of the washroom wearing Ness' clothes. "Thanks for the clothes Ness." Lucas said.

"Well, I couldn't let you go out to your room in those dirty clothes." Ness replied. "If someone caught you, they would make sure that you wouldn't hear the end of it. Now if you pardon me."

Ness grabbed some clothes for himself from his dresser and quickly ran into the washroom. A few seconds later the shower began to run again. Lucas just sat down looking at the match that Ness had left on the TV.

"You look a lot like Ness in that. You just need his hat." I said.

"Really?" Lucas asked. He reached for Ness' hat which was located on the bed and put it on. Suddenly there was a jolt that went through my head. I sat there shocked. The memory of a comb going through my hair seemed to come back to me. For whatever reason, Lucas putting on that hat triggered a memory. One about head lice.

"Yeah, if your hair was black we probably would mistake you two as brothers." I joked. I was hoping for a chuckle out of Lucas, but he just sat there looking rather depressed. "What was your brother like?"

"He was strong and energetic." Lucas replied. "I'm sure that if he was still alive, he would be a Smasher and not me. I don't deserve to be here!"

"That's not true." I said. "I'm sure you have your own qualities and what makes you more than worthy to be a Smasher."

"I'm just a stand in." Lucas replied. "They surely would of wanted my brother, and not me." He adjusted Ness' hat so that it covered his eyes. It was still quite obvious that he was beginning to cry.

"Hey, a man doesn't cry." I said.

"I'm not a man yet." He replied bluntly

"Well don't cry on Ness' clothes after he was so kind to let you borrow them."

"I don't deserve to be a Smasher!" Lucas cried. "I haven't done anything heroic. Claus deserved to be the Smasher, not me!"

A jolt went through my head and I fell down towards the ground.

* * *

It was cold and dark. All I could tell was that I was in a line. I was the 6th person in line. There were some people behind me. In front of me was a parking lot. I was sitting on a fold out chair, with my back to a rather large building. On the arm rest there was a thermos holding some hot chocolate. I was wearing a jacket, a hat, and a pair of black gloves. In my hand was a DS.

"Jeeze, I still can't believe that we met up like this! What are the odds? It's been, what? 4 years with very little contact? I thought we were friends!"

"I thought about calling you." I replied. "Unfortunately, due to so many calls from telemarketers I've been scared for life, and am unable to use a telephone." I joked. "That and I've been busy working weekends. And too busy during the school year."

"And that excludes the summer months how?" He questioned. Once again this person was the Reaper.

I just laughed. "Well this past summer I've been too busy learning Japanese!" I replied tapping my DS. In the Game Boy Advance slot there was a game. Mother 3.

"And the other 3?" He asked.

"Well I've been learning Japanese for a few summers." I replied.

"So, what's it about?"

"Fighting against an evil empire. The main character is this boy named Lucas, he is rather shy and his mother was killed by a Drago."

"A what?" The reaper asked.

"A giant dinosaur. It was turned into this robotic monster and lost control. It became violent."

* * *

I came back to reality. I was on the ground shaking. My hands grabbing my head. Lucas was clearly terrified, and he had gotten Ness from out of the shower. He was still wet, he just had a towel covering his lower body. His hair was covered with foam.

I was covered in a cold sweat.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?" Ness asked.

_Do I look like I'm okay to you?_

"I think so." I lied.

The two of them seemed relived, despite the fact that I was having a seizure. For some reason, I made a mental note of not telling anyone about this if I ever got back to the real world.

"Well then, if you're okay, I'm going to go finish my shower." Ness returned to the washroom, and the water began once again.

I had calmed down a bit. "What did you see?" Lucas asked.

"A night a couple of years ago." I replied. "It was one of the times I had met with the Reaper in my world."

Lucas just nodded.

The water stopped. I guess Ness only went in there to wash off the shampoo. Several moments later Ness came out in new clothes. He then walked over to a dresser and picked out some more clothes. "All right, Nugai. You smell like BO. Now get in there and take a shower. Maybe that will help clear your mind."

Ness forced the clothes in my hands and pushed me towards the washroom. Eventually I got in and took a shower.

Or tried to.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed. "YOU LITTLE BRATS USED UP ALL THE HOT WATER!"

I could hear them bursting into laughter, whether it was from my predicament or something else, I may never know.

Several minutes later I came out in the clothes that Ness had given me. We were all wearing a purple and yellow stripped shirt. I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't exactly look like me. "Ness, are you sure this is okay?" I wondered. "I mean, what if I stretch your shirt?"

"It's a larger one." Ness replied. "Don't worry about it. Now, don't we all look like brothers."

"We need some hats." Lucas laughed.

Ness just pulled out two extra hats and threw them. With stunning accuracy, they landed on our heads. I guess he just used his PSI to make sure that they landed perfectly on our heads. We all stood in front of a mirror. "We look stupid." I muttered.

"Now, Nugai, look into my eyes, when I snap my fingers you will be under my control, and you will fight Lucas for me!" Ness said.

"Fat chance." I said. "Maybe we can fight tomorrow, the three of us in a friendly match."

"Sure." Lucas said.

We all went down to the cafeteria. Ness and Lucas told me to sit down, and they would get food, to make sure that it wasn't poisoned. I sighed and just sat there. "Hello, Ness." Mewtwo said. "Oh, wait, I mean, Nugai. Very smart, disguising yourself as another Smasher."

"Hahaha very funny." I said.

"Well, at least it will fool the security camera's if you obscure your face a bit." Mewtwo laughed. "So, how was your bodyguards. They didn't snore did they."

"I think you mean to say, 'how was babysitting.'" I corrected Mewtwo.

Mewtwo let off a small chuckle.

"They were fine. They didn't seem like they wanted to kill me or anything."

"Did anything weird happen?" Mewtwo wondered.

"Well, there was one thing, I don't know how exactly to describe it though." I said. "But up until this morning I only saw Ness and Lucas a certain way."

"A certain way?" Mewtwo questioned.

"I'm sure if you just read my mind you will understand." I said.

Mewtwo however hesitated. "For the past little while, I haven't been able to read your mind." He replied.

I stared at him rather shocked. "What? Since when?"

"Since this morning."

_YES! Finally! My thought's are mine again!_

Mewtwo however hit me with his tail. "I thought you said you couldn't read my mind!"

"I can't, you're just that predictable." Mewtwo replied. "So can you explain it?"

"Their heads used to be as big as their bodies, but now they seemed to be proportioned like normal people!"

"Oh." Mewtwo said, as though this was nothing new. "That."

"That?"

"Don't worry about it."

"It's hard not to, they sort of just grew overnight."

"Just think of it as an optical illusion." Mewtwo replied. "It's how you perceive them. Earlier, you thought them as kids. However, as you grew closer to them, your perception of them changed, and to you they grew overnight."

I did not know how to reply to this. "That doesn't make-"

Mewtwo smacked me with his tail. "It doesn't need to. It's just how your mind percieves things."

"But Red wasn't super deformed." I pointed out. "What about that?"

Mewtwo just shrugged it off. "That's the way it is."

Lucas and Ness suddenly returned to the table with the food. Three omelets. "I hope you like what we got you." Ness said.

I looked at the omelet, cooked to perfection. "What's on it?"

"Mushrooms, bacon, onions, and cheese." Lucas answered.

"Sound's good."

"Except mushrooms are grown on-"

"I know!" I snapped. "Not at the table. Some people would like to keep their appetites!"

They looked at me rather shocked. "How is your memory?" Mewtwo asked.

"It's slowly coming back to me. I remembered a few things this morning."

"Yeah, what a rude awakening that was." Ness muttered.

"So, for the match today, who are you going to go with?" Mewtwo asked.

"I don't know, I think I'm safe, and I don't need anyone to watch over me."

"Actually I was talking about betting." Mewtwo replied. "I was curious if you were going to reclaim your entire fortune that you had to pay to Dr. Mario for those hospital bills."

I glanced at the two. "That's a loaded question Mewtwo." He let off a small chuckle.

"Okay, fine. However, the manager might take this opportunity to strike, everyone might be so attached on the match that she will attack when your guard is down." Mewtwo said. "So, you should at least still have someone watching over you. I know, how about Roy, he needs some help packing up some stuff anyways."

"I don't need a bodyguard. I'm positive that I'll be fine." I protested.

"Well, if you insist. Just watch your back." Mewtwo sighed.

I finished the omelet. It tasted so good, and was so filling. "Well, now I guess it's time for the big question." Ness said

"Big question?"

"Yep, who will you be cheering for during the match?" Ness asked.

Crap, I was hoping that I dodged that question with Mewtwo. I guess they were interested in it too.

I sighed. "I don't know." I replied. I honestly didn't. I was glad that they couldn't read my mind to try and figure out who I was cheering for. "I guess I'll be cheering for both of you, I can always hope that there is a tie!"

"In the rare event that we both are KO'd at the same time, we go into sudden death." Ness replied.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah." Ness said, "At least that's what the rulebook says. I don't know if anyone actually has entered it."

"Well, good luck, I guess I better give you guys some time to prepare." I said, quickly getting up. "Mewtwo, please make sure Ness doesn't eat his weight in ice cream again."

"Are you sure you don't want a bodyguard?"

"I'm positive, Ness' clothing will be good enough." I said walking away. "I can travel through the building with out the cameras knowing it's me, that's all that matters, right?"

"Well, they will be wondering why Ness is in two places at once." Mewtwo said. "Of course, normally there isn't someone watching over the cameras. So, you'll be fine even if you are walking around the building."

I got out of the cafeteria and began to walk through the Smash HQ. It had been about five minutes until I heard a voice. "Hey, Nugai!" I turned around to see Roy rushing towards me. "I just talked to Mewtwo, he said that you were willing to help me pack up my things."

_Mewtwo... _

"Sure." I said.

Roy led me to his room, and opened the door. From the hall way I could only tell one thing. It was messy. Really messy. Like, capable of hiding a corpse in there for six years with out raising any suspicion messy.

_This guy is a prince? I always thought prince's were more... I don't know..._

I looked around the room, I didn't even know where to begin. "Uh..."

"Yeah, sorry about this, I sort of let the room get out of control." Roy nervously laughed.

I let off a heavy sigh and walked in. "Well, we have to start somewhere. If we're lucky, we might be able to finish by next week."

I looked around. It was a lot bigger on the inside. Several walls that would separate the other rooms had actually been knocked down to make this one giant room for Roy. Every single spot was completely covered with junk. Trophies, clothing, photos, books.

"So, do you know where to begin?" Roy asked.

_I think with a flamethrower._

"Not a clue." I said. "I guess a corner, and just try to work your way into the center of the room?" I looked on a nearby table and saw that Chibi Robo was trying to scrape off food remnants with a toothbrush.

_Good luck Chibi Robo. You're going to need it. Okay, how do I get out of here?_

I never would have guessed that Roy was such a slob. "What the hell is wrong with this room?"

"Well, back at the castle, I always had servants clean up after me." Roy nervously replied.

"You certainly don't expect me to clean all of this alone." I said, annoyed.

"Well, you're not alone, you have Chibi Robo!" Roy joked. I kicked a pile of dirty clothing towards him. Quickly he blocked it.

"Don't joke!" I snapped.

I once again looked around. I feared that the manager had several mines laying around the room, waiting to be uncovered and explode, killing me. I moved an empty chip bag and saw a motion sensor mine right there. I could only imagine that my face had gone white. I just walked away. "This room is a death trap. This room is a death trap." I repeated.

"Hey, Nugai, where are you going."

"Somewhere safer, like a war zone. Or the manager's office." I replied.

"It's not that bad!" Roy protested.

"I just uncovered a motion sensor bomb. You clearly buy more clothes rather then washing them. I'm absolutely terrified at what may be growing in this room, and I can certainly smell the mould! I'm all ready having some breathing difficulties! I swear, the only way I'm cleaning this room is through lots of kerosene and a match!" I snapped.

"I thought you were going to help me, at least that's what Mewtwo said."

"You couldn't pay me enough to clean that room." I said. "And besides, Mewtwo was just making sure that you would watch over me, so the manager wouldn't kill me!"

Roy nodded. "I knew that."

"Let's go somewhere else." I said. "I want to talk."

We walked away from Roy's room.

_Good luck Chibi Robo. You'll need it. Will you ever need it._

We made our way down to the lobby and went back into the cafeteria. We got some drinks and sat down at a table. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Roy asked.

"I wanted to know about your time as a Smasher." I said.

Roy's eyes suddenly began to glow. He wanted to talk to someone about this. "Well, I guess my joining of the Smashers was a bit different than everyone else's. Everyone else was hired after they had become famous, but I was hired on a whim to try and promote..." He talked on and on, occasionally trying to stop for a quick sip of his drink. I tried to pay attention. "I can't believe that Mewtwo would make you think that you were our only hope to stay in the Smashers."

"I guess it was the high stakes to help motivate me or something." I replied. "So, you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Roy replied. "With my father sick, I need to go back and look over the country."

"You seem too laid back to me." I said. "I don't think you're capable of ruling a country."

Roy just laughed. "I don't know if I can either. But, I know I'll have people there to help me every step of the way."

Deep down, I felt regret. I regret not getting to know Roy better. If things were different, perhaps we could have even been good friends. "Nugai,"

"That isn't my name."

"Well, I was going to suggest that one day, down the line perhaps you could come to Pheare," Roy said. "We could swap stories as our times as Smashers. I'm sure I could tell you the story of Mewtwo being drunk."

"Ness mentioned it, though he failed to explain anything beyond that the property damage being in the billions. And that Mewtwo would kill him if he ever spoke of it." I replied.

"Yeah, but when I'm the king, if he tried to kill me, it would be off with his head." Roy replied.

"And if you tell that story, I'm sure everyone in the universe will know about some of your more outrageous moments here in the Smashers!" Mewtwo said, suddenly appearing behind Roy. Roy looked absolutely terrified. "I'm sure it would be quite a scandal for the king of Pheare."

"Mewtwo, what are you doing here?" Roy nervously asked.

"Outrageous moments?" I questioned.

"Okay, that's enough." Roy shouted. "No one says anything, or there is going to be a bunch of explosions."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Mewtwo said. "Blackmail is not appropriate for a king. Imagine what your people would say."

Roy just sat there gritting his teeth.

"Anyways, Roy, and Nugai, I was told to get you out of the cafeteria." Mewtwo said. "Also, Ness and Lucas' match is starting soon. So, you better go and watch it."

Roy seemed excited. "Well, I'll go and watch it, are you coming along Nugai?"

"No." I replied. "Actually, Roy, what time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Not until the evening." Roy replied. "Why?"

"Well, tomorrow, Lucas, Ness, and I were going to have a free match. Perhaps you could join us."

"Yeah, I'll join you if I can." Roy said. He immediately ran off.

I looked up at Mewtwo. "So, what is Roy's outrageous moment?"

"Just whatever you do, don't mention the naked swordsman either in front of Roy or in this city." Mewtwo replied.

I let off a small snicker. 'The naked swordsman' that must be a good story.

I got up and walked out of the cafeteria. I decided to go up to my room. It was surprisingly still in one piece. I expected it to be torn apart by the manager in an attempt to try and find some incriminating evidence that she could use to fuel her conspiracy of an evil plan where I attempted to murder each of the Smashers. I looked at my kitchen and noticed that my knives were missing.

_And I liked those knives._

I also noticed that each of the display swords that I in my room was now missing. Along with my Wii. I sighed.

I decided to change out of the clothing that Ness gave me. I folded it up neatly and made a mental note to wash it before giving it back. I looked around my room. The cat food was barely touched. Chocolate was probably out there causing terror or something.

I looked outside. All of the snow was suddenly gone, and it looked as though it was mid spring. "What the hell is wrong with this place?" I asked to no one in particular. I decided that it might be a good idea to take a small walk outside and enjoy the fresh air. I went out on the balcony and looked around at the city.

For the past 11 days, I rarely even had the chance to get out of the Smash HQ. I went back into my room and walked out into the hallways.

I suddenly heard from the P.A. system that Ness and Lucas' fight was beginning.

_Sorry guys, but I want to fight against you two blind._

I made it down into the lobby; however, I couldn't avoid Ness and Lucas' fight. On the TV's that were hanging in the lobby, the fight was playing, along with some commentary from Rai, Tei, and Sui.

I watched the fight for a few minutes; it really did look like the two of them were having so much fun out there on the battlefield. Lucas certainly was making sure that Ness would never have the opportunity to actually go easy on him. Lucas' PSI gave him a bit more reach than one would think he had, I made a small mental note to watch out for that in our friendly fight tomorrow.

I stepped out of the Smash HQ and began to walk through the city. I occasionally looked around. Every single TV had the current match on; I wouldn't be able to avoid watching the fight even if I wanted to. People were stopped in front of a giant TV that was on display. All of them were cheering for the fight. None of them would even notice that a Smasher was walking right past them.

I made my way to a park. I went in. There was a green field, some ponds, and trees, not a single trace of snow anywhere. There was also an old man playing chess, all alone. Slowly I walked over.

He glanced up at me.

"I've been expecting you Nugai." He laughed.

"That isn't my name." I said.

"Then, what is?" The old person asked.

"Fine, you can call me Nugai." I sighed. "Wait, you said that you were expecting me."

"Yes." He laughed. "Please, sit down, and let's play a game." I sat down in front of him. The old man quickly began to reset all of the pieces. "Do you know how to play chess?"

I thought for several seconds. "Pawns can move two spots on their first move, one after, they can only attack diagonally. The Rook's can move in a line. Bishops diagonally. Knights can only move in L shapes. Queens can move in any direction, and Kings can only move one space."

"Correct." He laughed. "Now, let's play. I'll let you go first."

I began by moving a pawn forwards. After several rounds the person began to talk once again. "Tell me, do you believe that by playing games you can reveal your opponent's personality?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me, when playing chess do you want to end a game as quickly as possible? Or do you wait for your opponent to attack and stay on the defensive? There are many other ways to play the game, but the way you play can reveal your personality. Right now, I can see that you have some background in the game, but not a lot. You're making rather rash moves."

_He can tell that from just a few moves? Or is this just a mind game?_

"I guess you could learn about people from how they play." I nervously replied.

He smiled. "Tell me, from this game what type of person do you think I am?"

I looked over the parts that had moved. "I think you're a defensive person." I said. "You are wondering about my skill and cautiously scouting it out. But I also think there is some devious traps laid. If I go to attack and take a piece, instantly my piece will be taken."

The old person smiled. "You're rather interesting. You remind me quite a bit of the Reaper."

"Do you fear the Reaper?" I asked him.

"No." He replied, as he moved another pawn. "I've met him before, his cold eyes. His hatred. But, he was weak. He comes from the same world that you do."

I suddenly froze. I never told him about that. "How do you know about that?" I stuttered.

"I know a lot." He replied. "I plan my every move, and watch. I was thinking about getting rid of the Reaper myself, but I think it would be more interesting if you fought him."

_This old man fight the Reaper and win?._

I could tell that there was more than meets the eye to this old man. "Gee, thanks." I muttered. "I'm not exactly budding in confidence right now."

"After your defeat with Marth, it is that strange vaccine that they are testing on you." He laughed.

"Just how much do you know about me?" I asked. "I mean, it's reaching creepy stalker levels."

"I can perceive everything about you." He replied. "Well, that's not true. I guess I only know what you know, except for what the Reaper knows about you."

I suddenly stopped. "The Reaper?"

"You were in his memories." the man replied. "He thought highly of you. Like a brother, even though you weren't related by blood. But, the you in his memories was an incredibly different person."

I didn't like where this was going. "What was I like in his memories?" I asked.

A twisted smile appeared on the old man's face. "I don't think you're ready for that."

"I think I am ready." I said.

"If you can beat me, in a game of chess, I'll tell you."

We continued to play. However I quickly lost. He had completely slaughtered me. "Checkmate." He smiled. There was something terrifying about his smile. "That was a good game. I'd like to face off against you once again Nugai."

"You'd probably just beat me again." I said.

"I'm sure you would get stronger and stronger." He reassured me. "If you're wondering that you were like the Reaper before losing your memory, you weren't."

I looked at him both shocked, and relieved. "I wasn't?"

"No, you weren't." He said. "But, you were a completely different person. If right now you are confident, I'd say you used to keep to yourself, and always questioned your capabilities."

"But I am questioning my capabilities right now! I'm certainly can't be the only person who can defeat the Reaper!"

"Defeat no, save yes." I looked at the old man. "You're the only one capable of saving him."

_Saving him?_

"How?" I questioned.

"I guess all you need to do is really find your way back home. The two are interlocked after all."

"Do you know how? You said that you could perceive everything about me, from the past to the future?" I wondered.

He just laughed. "Perhaps. Tap your heels together three times and say 'there is no place like home.' Okay?"

I looked down nervously. I closed my eyes. "Okay... There is no place like home." I knocked my heels against each other once.

_This feels incredibly stupid, this better be worth it. _

"There is no place like home." I did it again.

"There is no place like home." I did it for the third time. Slowly, I opened my eyes and much to my great displeasure, I was still there. "What gives?"

The man just laughed. "I wanted to see if you actually would do that. I didn't think you would!"

"I hope this was worth a laugh."

"It was." He replied. "Don't worry; I know you will be able to escape."

Boy, that really kills the suspense... then again; I guess so does writing this…

"Well, thank you." I said beginning to walk away. "I guess I should go back to the Smash HQ."

"Please come back again, I'd like to play against you once again." The old man said. "I'm here every day. And I'm sure you'll have some questions tomorrow."

I looked back at the old man confused. He however just smiled, and began to play another game of chess.

I returned to the Smash HQ. I had received a little bit of grief from the security guard. I could somehow tell that he was considering calling the manager. However Mewtwo teleported in to save me. When we were walking through the hallways he just began to berate me.

"How could you be so stupid? You know the Manager wants you dead! You need to stay in the Smash HQ!"

"I was perfectly fine." I replied.

"You could have been killed and no one would've known any better! Either by the Reaper, or the Manager! Or maybe there was an attack from the war!"

"I was perfectly fine." I repeated myself. I feared that I was beginning to transform into a broken record. Just based on this and the amount of times I've said 'that isn't my name.' so far and the slight fear of how long this conversation was going to go on for.

"Listen, if you go out of the HQ, you have to tell someone!"

_What am I? A child?_

"Nugai, listen, I'm being serious, I believe that you are the only chance that we have against the Reaper. If you die, the Reaper will continue his slaughter."

"I'm no hero." I said. "I was unable to even beat Marth. I won't be able to beat the Reaper."

Mewtwo responded to this with a slap from his tail. And boy, did this ever hurt. The next thing I knew was that I was on the ground. I think I even blacked out for a few seconds. Slowly I got up. "I don't like whining." Mewtwo said. "It gives me a giant headache. Now follow me!"

Mewtwo floated away to the cafeteria. Unfortunately for me, I was now forced to work on setting up decorations for a goodbye party. Eventually, everyone turned off the lights and we all hid. "Roy's coming!" Princess Peach said.

With Roy was Marth. They opened the doors to the darkened cafeteria, suddenly the lights came on. Confetti and balloons fell from the ceiling. "Surprise!" Everyone shouted.

Roy looked around, I don't know how, but I could tell he was feigning shock. "I don't know what to say!" Roy said.

I leaned towards Mewtwo, "Did he know?" I asked.

"He figured it out." Mewtwo replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I feel as though I could tell he was lying." I said.

"Interesting, this might have to do with Aura." Mewtwo said.

Everyone began to walk around and eat some food that was on the tables. Peach and Zelda also brought out a giant cake. On it was written "Goodbye Roy." Also going around was a card to sign. When it got to me I read over it.

"Hope the Naked Swordsman doesn't make a reappearance in Pheare."

"See ya bud!"

"It was fun while it lasted."

I read through every single comment, and I didn't know what to write for mine. I decided simple was probably best. "I wish I could have known you better."

I passed it on and others signed it. I went over to the table to get some food. Sitting at the table was Toon Link. "So, you're Nugai." Toon Link said.

"Yeah." I replied.

_Dear merciful crap, there is something uncanny about him!_

I took a plate and reached for something that looked like dumplings. I took a few and began to eat. Toon Link seemed he was waiting for something. "These dumplings." I said. "I don't think the hot sauce goes with it."

Toon Link was actually rather shocked. Link on the other hand took a dumpling and a moment later began to breath fire. Quickly he hit Toon Link over the head. "Was this your doing?" He asked. Toon Link just cringed. "I should of known. You stupid idiot."

"Nugai!" Toon Link cried. "Link hit me!"

"What do you want me to do?" I questioned.

"Tell him that yours didn't have hot sauce in it, and he hit the wrong person."

"It did have hot sauce in it." I replied. "I guess I'm just used to spicy food."

"Don't ruin this party with your stupid practical jokes!" Link snapped walking away. Toon Link just sat down and sighed.

"Geeze. Link's no fun." Toon Link sighed. "He seems to be really hard on me too."

"I wonder why?" I questioned.

"Don't know, but the first time he saw me he called me Colin. When I asked him who that was, he didn't say anything."

A small jolt of pain went through my head. "Colin was a kid back in the Ordon Village." I replied.

"Oh, so he told you then." Toon Link said. "Well, I guess that makes sense, we must look quite similar."

_Actually you look nothing alike... It might have been the distance, or Colin began dressing in green to idolize Link..._

Mewtwo walked over, and immediately Toon Link ran away in terror. "Did something happen between you two?" I wondered.

"You could say that." Mewtwo replied. "He made a mistake of putting some hot sauce in some of my food."

"You don't want any of the dumplings then." I replied.

Mewtwo looked at all of the food and eventually sat down. "It's sad seeing a comrade leave." He said. "But, parting is inevitable. The Smashers have bonds that can't be broken. Even if Roy is apart from us, we still are Smashers. And we are still friends. He will have plenty of challenges ahead."

I decided to walk around and talk to the other Smashers. They recounted their times with Roy. A few of them were even trying to hold back tears. Others were failing miserable. "I don't want someone to leave the Smashers." Luigi cried.

The overall atmosphere was that everybody was saddened by Roy leaving.

Eventually, I met up with Ness. Surprisingly, he was alone. I looked around, unable to see Lucas. "Ness, where's Lucas?" I asked.

"No idea." He replied. "I think he's avoiding me, I fear he thinks I was holding back during our match."

_Come to think of it I never did find out who won. Well hopefully he wouldn't ask any questions._

"So, what did you think of the fight?"

_Crap! I can't tell him that I just went out and played chess with an old man! Did he even give me his name?_

"Well, I think you both had your heart and soul in the fight." I replied. "You could really see the passion that was behind the attacks."

_Oh please make sense, and please let the small portions of their fight that I saw accurately represent the entire fight!_

"Really!" Ness said excited.

"Yes, of course." I replied. "I'm sure Lucas was able to see your fighting spirit."

"Still, if that was the case, why isn't he here? Why is he avoiding me?"

"Maybe he just wanted to be alone for some time. Maybe he wanted to meditate on the results of the match. Or maybe he doesn't like parties because they remind him of his mother and brother."

Ness nodded. "I hadn't thought about that. Well, I'm sure we'll see Lucas tomorrow!"

I just enjoyed the party. The Manager wasn't there, so I didn't fear for my life, though I doubted that she would do anything when I was surrounded by the Smashers. When it was over, Mewtwo had all ready picked out the next Smasher to look over me for the night.

It was Lucario.

He led me to his room. It looked completely normal, as though a human was living there. I expected to see a cat bed or something for him to sleep in. "You can take the bed Nugai." He calmly said.

"But then, where would you get to sleep?" I wondered.

"Don't worry about that. You should just go to sleep." Lucario said.

I went in the bed and closed my eyes. However, I couldn't quite get to sleep. Lucario was constantly staring at me. "You aren't going to hang from the ceiling to try and kill me again, right?" I asked.

"No, of course not." Lucario replied.

Somehow, I managed to fall asleep with him constantly gazing over me.

* * *

**Notes:**

**So... That's three times I've made Lucas wet himself... Once while being tortured in Shades of Smash, once in 365, and now once here... I'm screwed up...**


	14. Day 13: Youthful Naivety

Day 13: Youthful Naivety

I looked around the room rather confused. I didn't see Lucario anywhere. I thought for a few seconds that he had gone all ready for breakfast or training. So I got up and went into the washroom. After I was done doing my business I looked around the washroom. It looked exactly the same. My eyes then looked at the tub.

I could only stare in horror.

Sleeping there, in the tub, was Lucario.

I did my best to quietly walk out of the washroom, and then I began to frantically swear.

_WHY IS HE SLEEPING IN THE TUB?_

I lied in the bed and ten minutes later Lucario came out of the bathroom.

"How are you doing?" Lucario asked, oblivious that I had seen him in the bathtub.

"Fine." I lied.

"Your aura says a different story." Lucario replied. "You're nervous about something. Please tell me? Is it regarding the manager?"

"No, it's nothing. I was just concerned about my room. I just had a small fear that the manager applied kerosene to it, and it's all gone now."

"Ah I see." Lucario said. "Well, if you would like we could go up to your room to double check."

"No, it's fine!" I said.

We got up and went to the cafeteria. We ate some food. My mind was constantly occupied with the thoughts about the match I was going to have today. I couldn't wait for the match with Lucas, Ness and Roy.

However there was suddenly a broadcast over the PA system. "All Smashers, please report to the cafeteria!"

Everyone looked around confused. Several minutes later the Manager came in with a laptop in tow. She had a twisted smile across her face. Somehow I could tell this wasn't going to end well for me.

She hooked up the laptop to the wall and suddenly a projector descended from the ceiling. Also across the wall a screen began to descend. Suddenly on the screen footage from the security cameras began to show up. The Manager stepped out in front of the Smashers. "Thank you for coming to this emergency meeting." she said. "As you can tell, Lucas isn't here with us!"

They looked around and realized Lucas was indeed not with us. "After his match yesterday, he vanished." This wasn't good. Not good at all. She stared at me. "Now Nugai, I also checked the tapes, and you were absent during the match yesterday, you left the Smash HQ! Where did you go?"

I was terrified. I could feel the gazes of all of the Smashers on me.

"I met an old man and played chess with him in the park." I replied truthfully.

"And who was this old man?" She questioned.

My heart suddenly sank. I never even asked for his name. "I don't know." I replied.

"You don't know?" She questioned. "If you were playing a game, wouldn't you want to know who you were playing against? Or maybe that was just a lie, and you were actually meeting with the Reaper, to kidnap and torture poor little Lucas."

"Hold it!" A voice shouted out. Standing up was Wolf. "You haven't exactly painted yourself as the most trustworthy person alive." Wolf said. "What if you just have Lucas tied up in a room somewhere in the HQ!"

The Manager seemed to curse under her breath. "You're trusting him over me?" She asked.

"I never said that." Wolf admitted. "I was just pointing out a possibility. At least Nugai wasn't someone who wanted to experiment on us. Lucas could of also left the Smash HQ and gotten lost in the big city. I just don't think it's fair that you immediately blame Nugai."

She remained frustrated.

"Then the best course of action is to split up." Mario said. "Some of us can go into the city and search. While others can check the HQ to see if Lucas is tied up somewhere."

Everyone nodded, and quickly dispersed. I decided to walk up to Wolf. "Thank you Wolf." I said.

He however just glared at me. "I wasn't defending you. I was just pointing out other possibilities."

"I understand."

I walked away.

I decided that the best course of action was to go to the old man once again. If worse came to worst, he would be willing to help defend me against the Manager's accusations. I went out of the Smash HQ, and to be cautious, Mewtwo decided to come along with me. "We can't have the Manager use this as another opportunity to make you seem responsible for Lucas' disappearance."

"Okay, thank you." I said. I understood his concern. Even if Mewtwo knew I was innocent, it wouldn't do me a lot of good if no one else could read my mind, or believed me. At least with Mewtwo, he could be a witness.

We walked out to the park. Mewtwo remained calm. "Mewtwo, is it okay if you watch from a distance?" I asked. "I don't want to startle that old man with you looming over us."

Mewtwo nodded. "I understand. I'll watch from a distance." As we entered to the park I pointed out the old man to him. Mewtwo however was slightly nervous. "That old man isn't who he appears to be. I can feel some strange energy coming from him."

I didn't know if I should have been afraid. "He didn't hurt me yesterday, so I think he can be trusted."

"Very well then." Mewtwo said.

I approached the old man. "Hello again."

He looked up at me, and a smile crossed his face.

"You're back."

"Yes." I replied. "You said something yesterday. And well, I do have some questions, and I'm hoping you have answers."

"You're wondering about the current location of Lucas." The old man said.

I stood there in shock. How did he know? "Yes." I replied.

"He was taken by the Reaper." he calmly replied. "After the match between Ness and Lucas ended, the Reaper confronted him, and they walked out of the Smash HQ together."

"Just who are you, and how do you know this stuff?" I asked.

"My name is Tabuu, and I guess you could say that things aren't always as they appear." The old man said.

Tabuu, had I heard that name before? It certainly didn't ring any bells.

"I'll take your word for that."

"The Manager will accuse you to the bitter end." Tabuu calmly said. "That of course will be her undoing."

I wondered what he meant by that.

"Now please, we have all the time in the world. Let's play another game of chess."

I nodded and sat down. He proceeded to beat me at the game of chess. "Thank you for the game. Now, I guess you should be going and looking for someone you will not find."

"Where is Lucas now?"

"If I tell you, you will only rush in to your suicide. Lucas will return tomorrow, and there will be blood on his hands."

"Blood?" I questioned.

"You will find out soon enough." He said. "When you have time, return for another game. I know you will improve for the next time we meet."

I got up and walked back towards Mewtwo. "What did he say?"

"He told me that Lucas walked out of the Smash HQ with the Reaper."

"What?" Mewtwo said shocked.

"He also said that Lucas is currently at the Reaper's base, however he said it would be suicide to try and attack it."

"Yes." Mewtwo replied. "It would most definitely be suicide. Besides the reaper, you would also have to deal with several of his followers. Each of them would be a frightening force alone, but together it really would be suicide."

"He also said that Lucas would come back to the Smash HQ tomorrow with blood on his hands. Although I don't understand that."

"He might escape through force, and badly wound someone." Mewtwo replied. "So, please tell me you at least asked for his name this time."

"Yes, he called himself Tabuu." I replied. "Does it ring any bells?

"Not at all."

We got back to the Smash HQ, and Mewtwo informed the Manager that Lucas had indeed been kidnapped by the Reaper. She was furious, and tried to shift the blame to me once again. However Mewtwo told her that the old man playing chess was real, and that he was the one who had seen Lucas and the Reaper walk out of the HQ. She called back all of the Smashers, and broke the news. They just dispersed.

I didn't know what to do now. I approached Ness. "Ness, would you like to battle?"

He seemed out of it. He just nodded. I could tell in his current state, even I would be capable of slaughtering him. So, perhaps a battle wasn't the best course of action. "Actually, Ness you seem really out of it. I don't think a battle would be a good idea. I guess we would have to postpone our match until we rescue Lucas."

Ness nodded and walked away. Although, deep down I wanted to fight, and I felt a little depressed that I wouldn't get the free for all between myself, Lucas, Ness, and Roy.

I quickly began to run for Roy. "Roy!" I shouted. "Do you want to have a battle!"

He looked up at me. He also seemed a little depressed, although, not as badly as Ness. "Sure, that should be able to get my mind off of this."

Roy led the way, and we began to walk down to the stage to start a battle. "I'm sorry that it isn't the four fighter match that I promised." I apologized.

"Don't worry about that." Roy laughed back.

"And, I'm sorry that your last fight here with the Smashers is under such bad circumstances."

"Actually, Nugai, I canceled my flight back home." Roy replied. "I couldn't leave the Smashers without not knowing if Lucas was safe or not."

I was actually relived that Roy was staying. Perhaps later, once Lucas came back, we could have our free for all battle. We made it to the stadium, and within a few minutes the two of us were fight a quick 3 stock match.

I really had to hand it to Roy; he seemed completely different on the battlefield than he did in real life. He was much more serious. He was also very calculating. With each item that fell he seemed to use it to his advantage. Even when he discarded them, or left the items alone they seemed to benefit him.

"Come on Nugai!" Roy said. "I can read your every move! You're too predictable!"

Being down a stock, I decided to keep my distance and try to figure out how he was reading my movements. It soon hit me, he was watching my arm's movements, with that he could tell how I was swinging my beam sword, and how much strength was behind it. If I had any items, he could tell how far I was going to throw them based upon my stance. An advantage he wouldn't have in multiple opponent battles.

In the end I only managed to knock Roy out twice. But I felt that there was a bit of progress made. Roy just laughed. "That match was great Nugai!"

"No problem." I said.

"Although, next time you should probably distance yourself from the crates, just incase they do explode." Roy laughed. "Well, hopefully we can enjoy another fight some other time."

We walked down to the cafeteria. Most of the Smashers had finished eating lunch and were out and about doing various things. I could only imagine that several of them were planning on going out to try and find Lucas, and attack the Reaper's base head on.

I sat down at a table with a tray full of food. I took a bite and noticed a kick to the food. Roy wasn't as lucky. "Toon Link must of put hot sauce in the food again!" Roy snapped rather annoyed. "He was even trying to put hot sauce in the cake yesterday, can you belive that?"

"I wonder why he's doing it." I said.

"It's just a cry for attention." Roy sighed. "He's lonely and want's people to notice him or something."

_Would it just be that?_

Well, since I had all afternoon, I decided then and there to find out why Toon Link would put hot sauce in the food. "Well, Nugai, I've still got to clean my room. So, hopefully I'll see you around." Roy said as he ran off. I just sighed.

Exiting from the kitchen was Toon Link. In his hands was a bottle of hot sauce. He seemed to be snickering. Having finished the food I decided to get up and follow him. However, almost instantly he noticed that I was following him. He turned around to face me. "What do you want Nugai?"

"I was just curious about something." I said.

"About what?" He said.

"Just what brand of hot sauce that is." I replied. "I'm also wondering why you're constantly putting it in the food?"

Toon Link just smiled. "Well, the brand is Death Sauce, and I put it in as a joke!"

"Just as a joke?" I questioned.

"Yep!" Toon Link replied. "Isn't it funny?"

"No!" I snapped. "You're ruining perfectly good food!"

Toon Link didn't like this answer. He backed up, in shock. "You wouldn't understand anyways." He muttered.

"What wouldn't I understand?" I asked.

"I'm just a replacement!" Toon Link said.

I didn't know if this really was as big of an issue as he was making it out to be. "Is it really that big of an issue?"

"Yes!" Toon Link replied. "Everyone wants me to be exactly just like Young Link! But I'm not like him though! Why don't I prove it in a battle!"

"Okay then." I had nothing better to do, so I might as well enjoy another battle.

As we walked down to the battlefield, there was a smile across his face. Toon Link seemed arrogant. I figured he thought because he had seen the match between Marth and me, that he would have the advantage. How naive.

We got there and our battle began instantly. We had turned off the items so that we could only fight with our swords. Toon Link had actually caught me by surprise. He was much faster and agile than Marth and Roy. However, he was far too cocky. He left himself open far too often, and I could tell where he was going to be almost instantly. Once I got over his initial speed, I was actually able to beat him.

He was actually devastated that he had lost against me.

However I suddenly felt ill. It was as though I had over exerted my body. My chest suddenly had pain coursing through it. It felt as though that something was about to burst out of it. I collapsed onto the ground, and Toon Link looked at me rather afraid. "Hey, Nugai, what's wrong?"

"My chest hurts." I replied. He didn't know what to do, he was in shock. However, Mewtwo teleported in. He had been in the bleachers watching our fight.

"You've done another fight today haven't you?" He said.

"How do you know that?"

"Each of the fights in the virtual space put stress on your body. For that reason, we're only allowed to have 1 fight a day." Mewtwo explained.

"You could have told me that sooner." I said. "What can I do?"

"You can avoid partaking in any more battles, as the next one probably will leave you hospitalized." Mewtwo suggested. "Other than that, you can just take it easy. Also, Toon Link, can you watch over Nugai for the rest of the day so that the Manager doesn't try to kill him."

We walked out stadium, and Toon Link directed me to his room.

When we got there, I looked around and saw a picture of him with a little girl, a bunch of pirates and someone who I assumed to be his grandmother. He sat down on a chair, and noticed I was looking at the photo. "We took the photo before I left to be with the Smashers." Toon Link said.

"I see. I'm guessing everyone was afraid that you were going to be homesick?"

"No, it's just they thought I needed something to remember them by." Toon Link replied.

I wondered if in the real world people had noticed that I was missing. That I was gone? Would they have called the police, and filed a missing person report? Would anyone care?

I looked around the room. Toon Link seemed to have a blue shirt and orange pants thrown across the bed. I just sat down on a chair. "I guess we can just stay here until you feel better."

"Why don't I just go to Dr. Mario's office?" I asked.

"He's just going to tell you the same thing that Mewtwo did." Toon Link said. "So, Lucas was kidnapped by the Reaper. I'm guessing this place isn't as safe as everyone thinks."

Come to think of it, Tabuu didn't say that Lucas was kidnapped; he said that he walked out of the Smash HQ with the Reaper.

"Nugai, about our battle."

I looked up at Toon Link. "Yes?"

"I was wondering about how you were able to predict where I was going to strike and how you were able to counter everything so perfectly."

"Well, I realized that your reach with your sword wasn't that far, and I just continued to have a mental picture of your maximum reach. With that out of the way, you telegraph when you're attacking with your bow and arrow and boomerang far too much. The biggest advantage you had was your speed, but once I got used to your pace, I could counter it."

Toon Link nodded. "I think I understand what you're saying."

"Yeah, Roy told me that he could read my attacks. And during the battle I learned how to tell where he will attack." I replied.

I stayed in Toon Link's room for a good portion of the day. At dinner, my body had stopped hurting and we went down. Surprisingly there was no hot sauce in either my food or anyone else's.

Whenever Toon Link wasn't eating, he was telling me stories of what it was like back at his home, on Outset Island, and then his adventures on the great sea. I could tell he was exaggerating some things. He talked about how he stormed an enemy fortress all by himself, and how he was surrounded by monsters and fought them off single-handedly. He was a good storyteller; I'll give him that. He certainly kept me engaged.

When I had finished dinner we got up. Toon Link just wouldn't stop talking about his adventures. I guess all he wanted was someone to listen, but among all of the Smashers who had their own adventures, perhaps his was only average.

"I was captured by a whirlpool and constantly firing my cannon at the giant squid!" Toon link said. "You're really the first person to listen to me here!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah." Toon Link said. "Everyone else just seems to brush me off, thinking that I over exaggerate everything. So, what were your adventures like?"

"My adventures?"

"Yeah, the reason you were chosen to be a Smasher! What were your adventures like in your world?" Toon Link said.

We had made it to Toon Link's room. We entered and I sat down on the couch. "My adventures." I said. I tried to think of something. "I never really had adventures I guess. I just lived. At least that's what I remember."

"Geeze, you sound so boring." Toon Link said. "I wonder how you were chosen to be a Smasher."

"It just happened." I said. "I'm sorry, with out my memories, this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. Who knows, maybe from my world I am a great warrior who has saved it from destruction countless times before."

_Or, I'm just a giant loser who obsesses over videogames._

Toon Link just laughed. "Well, when you regain your memories, please tell me about your adventures."

_Something tells me you don't want to know about them._

"Sure." I said. "If there is anything that can rival your adventures."

"It's a promise then!" Toon Link said.

A few seconds later Toon Link went into the washroom and got changed into his pajamas. Orange pants, and a blue shirt with a white crayfish on it. He jumped on his bed, and going by how it seemed to move, it appeared to be a water bed.

"Nugai." Toon Link said.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Do you think Lucas is okay?" Toon Link asked.

"He will be fine. I know he's a strong kid." I said.

"Do you have any siblings?" Toon Link asked.

"I don't remember." I said. "You?"

"I've got a younger sister." Toon Link replied. He suddenly began to yawn. "Well, see you tomorrow."

I also began to yawn. "Yeah."

Toon Link fell asleep in his bed.

I just continued to lie on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

**Seriously, Toon Link crayfish pajamas, it should have been in Brawl. I might of found Toon Link tolerable then… Why did Wario get the only alternative costume?  
**


	15. Day 14: Attacked

Day 14: Attacked

When I woke up I was on the ground having fallen off of the couch in my sleep. I stood up and went to the washroom. However the door was locked. "I'm all ready in here!" Toon Link said.

I went to the couch and sat down. I looked at the TV and turned it on. After a little of channel surfing, Toon Link came out of the washroom in his green tunic. I went to the washroom and quickly did my business.

I came out of the washroom and sat down on the chair. I looked at the TV. Toon Link was now flipping through the channels. I just closed my eyes and tried to focus. If what Tabuu said was true, Lucas would come back to the Smash HQ today. However I wondered what he meant by with blood on his hands. "Are you all right Nugai?"

"Yeah, just hungry, I guess." I replied.

Toon Link nodded. "Well let's go get breakfast then."

The two of us walked out of the room. On our way there we found Ness, who was aimlessly wandering the halls. He looked up at us, however he seemed distant. "Hello." He said.

"Hey, Ness, you don't look too good." Toon Link said.

He seriously looked half dead. "Ness, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing."

_Liar!_

"Don't say 'nothing'!" Toon Link said. "Everyone can see that it is at least something!"

"It's about Lucas, isn't it?" I guessed.

Ness nodded. "I hope he's safe." Ness said.

"Well, why don't we go down for some breakfast." I suggested.

The three of us went down to the cafeteria. We got some breakfast. However Ness didn't seem to cheer up. He had barely touched any of his food. "Earth to Ness!" Toon Link said.

For Ness' sake I hope Lucas would come back soon.

"I should have stayed with him after the match." Ness sighed. "That way, he wouldn't of been kidnapped by the Reaper."

"Ness, you really should just cheer up. What happened, happened." Toon Link said.

"That's easy for you to say." Ness replied. "I could have stopped Lucas from being kidnapped by the Reaper."

"I'm sure everyone is thinking up a plan to get Lucas back." I said.

"I hope you're right." Ness replied. He just continued to dissect his food, showing little interest in actually eating it.

_What could I do to cheer him up?_

"Ness, listen, there is something inside me telling me that Lucas will be back here today!" Although right now that feeling was actually my stomach tying itself in knots and trying to tell me that I was about to regret saying this.

Ness however continued to remain a skeptic. "I'll believe it when I see it. Only a few people have ever escaped from the Reaper."

I just sighed. I really wish Tabuu had told me more, like when Lucas was coming back, or how he was going to come back.

We finished our breakfast. "Hey, Ness, if you're not going to eat that, can I have it?" I asked.

Ness just pushed his plate towards me. I knew he had barely touched it. I just began to eat it. "Ness, once I'm done this why don't we go hunt down the Reaper and kick him in the nuts?"

Toon Link seemed to burst out in laughter, I don't think Ness appreciated the joke. "Toon Link, can I get some water please?" Ness asked.

"Same." I said.

Toon Link nodded and quickly ran to get some glasses of water. Ness just sighed. "Ness," I said. "What are you going to do if Lucas doesn't come back alive? Are you just going to sulk the rest of your life?"

"I'd probably go and hunt down the Reaper." Ness said.

I nodded. "You should stop sulking. Lucas is a Smasher too, right? He'll be fine. And besides, I don't think you should beat yourself up over Lucas being kidnapped."

"Nugai, I don't know what to do." Ness said.

"I don't know what to do either." I replied.

Toon Link came back with the glasses of water and passed them to Ness and myself. We began to drink, and eventually I finished Ness' breakfast. "That was really good!" I said. "You have no idea what you missed out on Ness! It's not too late, you can still get some breakfast!"

"No, I'm fine." Ness said.

Maybe it was an omen, but I suddenly had to go to the washroom. "Guys, I think the water just went right through me." I said. "I need to go take a leak, I'll be back in a few."

However, the moment I got up, they also got up. "I'm not letting you out of our sight." Toon Link said.

I cringed. "Not even in the sacredness of the washroom?"

"Oh, well, we'll allow that. We'll just escort you there."

Well that was a slight relief. I guessed Mewtwo had decided to tell them telepathically to not let me out of their sight. They escorted me to a public washroom that was in the HQ. I quickly did my business and walked out. They were waiting outside. Ness continued to slouch over.

"Ness, do we have to push you in the pool to get you to cheer up?" I wondered. "Just try to forget about Lucas." In hindsight, I should have said something else.

"That's easy for you to say!" Ness snapped. "And what happens if I forget about him? He may be dead, don't you care about him? Isn't he your friend?"

"Yes." I said. "We're all nervous about Lucas. But we just have to put our faith in him and believe."

Ness just laughed. "Yeah right. You're just saying that! Maybe the manager is right maybe you are working with the Reaper! You just want me to forget about Lucas because you know he is all ready dead!" He was beginning to get more and more upset. "Well, do you?"

Generally getting fed up with this crap, I decided to punch Ness in the abdomen. He collapsed on the ground gasping for air. "Toon Link, can you help me carry Ness to the pool, he seriously needs to cool down."

Toon Link nodded and we began to drag Ness to the pool. Ness seemed to struggle, and put on a show. He was even calling for help, but none came.

We eventually got to the pool, and Ness began to struggle more. "You're trying to kill me!" He shouted. Toon Link and I grabbed him by the arms and legs and began to swung him. We then let go and he went into the pool. He came out a few seconds later not at all impressed.

"Now, are you going to calm down?" I asked.

"I will." He said. He suddenly pulled out his yo-yo and flicked it towards me. It wrapped around my legs and he pulled me in to the water. A few seconds later Toon Link also jumped into the water, or rather it looked like he was pushed by an invisible force.

The pool was freezing. "Okay, let's get out of here." I suggested.

We got out of the pool and began to shiver. Ness directed us to the change rooms. Quickly, he directed us to the sauna. "This will help warm us up a bit, and dry out our clothes." Ness said.

We went in. It was really hot in there, and quite hard to breath. But it did the job of warming us up and drying out our clothes a bit.

"Everyone is afraid that the worst has happened to Lucas." Toon Link said. "We all have to stay optimistic."

"You're right."

I had to step out of the sauna. I was having an extremely difficult time breathing in there. I just went over to the showers and turned it on, and let the hot water go over me. Once I had warmed up a bit I stood around and used aura to push the water out of my clothes. Within a minute I was standing in a puddle of water.

I went back to the sauna. Ness and Toon Link were looking at me rather confused as to why my clothes were now dry. "I heard the shower going." Ness said. "Why are you dry?"

"I used aura to push the water out of the clothes." I replied.

"That's actually a good idea." Ness said. He stood up and created a barrier, it pushed the water out of his clothes. Toon Link did the same thing. They stepped out of the sauna with perfectly dry clothes. "So, why did you leave?"

"I had a hard time breathing in there." I replied. "But I'm fine now."

Ness nodded.

We stepped out of the changing rooms. Suddenly sirens began to ring. "The Smash HQ is under attack!" Ness said.

"What should we do?" I asked.

"Didn't they brief you on emergency procedures?" Ness asked.

"No." I replied.

"We'll we have to get to a hidden room in the basement. It will transport us down 500 meters underground, where there are escape tunnels." Ness explained.

The three of us began to run, both Toon Link and I was following behind Ness. I was looking for a way to separate from them, so that I could see what was about to occur. However, Ness was constantly glancing back making sure we were both behind him.

There was a sudden explosion. I was sent flying back into the wall, and the ceiling collapsed. I gasped in horror. "Ness, Toon Link, are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Ness replied. "We were able to avoid the ceiling falling on us. But now this way is blocked, you have to go some other way."

"Okay, I understand!" I replied.

I quickly ran in another direction. There was something about that explosion. It didn't feel natural, like it was from an attack. It felt instead that there was a motion sensor bomb hidden, and set to go off the moment I passed it, would the Manager of placed it there? No, she wouldn't of known I was going this way to the emergency route?

Would she?

I ran down the hallway, and eventually got to the second floor of the lobby. Standing there was the Reaper. In his hand was his giant scythe. At his feet were the corpses of the security guards. He just swung the giant scythe around. I grabbed the beam sword that was at my side. Immediately, the Reaper looked up at me and jumped into the air. Somehow, he was able to reach the second floor. He landed in front of me and swung his scythe. I blocked the attack with my beam sword, and tried to push away his scythe. I quickly rushed in up close, however he just thrust his palm into my abdomen, and sent me flying back into a wall.

I got back up. My body was shaking. Quickly I ran for the Reaper, he once again swung his scythe towards me, however I blocked the attack with my beam sword.

"Stay out of my way Nugai!" He said.

"No!" I replied. "I won't let you attack the Smashers!"

"They are all ready in the secret base 500 meters underground, aren't they?"

"How did you know about that?"

He just smiled. "Good, then they won't interfere."

I thought for a moment that I had just dug myself in a grave, that he was willing to kill me. His hand reached for my head, and the next moment all I knew was that we were falling to the ground of the first floor.

We landed on the ground, and my body was in pain. Somehow I survived, and I half expected myself to be in a crater. He forced down the wooden staff from his scythe on my abdomen, winding me. I gasped for air. "It will all be over in a few seconds." From my body emerged a ball of light that looked like several hundred tiny bar codes. "I'll repair your source code."

He grabbed the ball of light, I could suddenly feel pain coursing through every single inch of my body. I even blacked out for a few seconds. A few minutes later and he was done. He forced the Source Code back into me, and I screamed out in pain. He stepped away from me and turned his back.

_Big mistake!_

I grabbed my beam sword and tried to stand up. The key word in that sentence being 'tried'. As soon as I got on my two feet, I immediately collapsed, unable to support my own weight. My legs had suddenly felt like they had run several marathons and were no longer even capable of supporting me. "Did you honestly think that I would have shown you my back if I didn't know whose side you were on?"

I tried standing up once again, this time even using my beam sword as a cane, how that worked, I have no idea. I guess the floor was beam sword proof.

"What did you do to me?" I asked.

"Well, I made sure that you wouldn't be able to do anything besides eat for the remainder of the day. I also restored your memories."

I paused for a second. I didn't remember anything different; he seemed to sense my disbelief. "Don't worry, they will gradually come back to you."

I had quickly put my legs full of aura to give me an extra little but of umph for a surprise attack. I launched myself towards the Reaper and delivered a punch. "Now, was that just a desperation attack, or was that because you remembered who I was?"

"Nothing's come back to me yet!"

"That's too bad!"

I was suddenly sent flying across the room right into the wall. This time, I actually left a crater in the wall. I screamed out in pain and the Reaper slowly began to approach me. However, a sudden sphere of energy rushed towards him. He just cut through it with his scythe. He turned to face the Manager. In her hands was a super scope. "Just what is your goal Reaper!" She shouted.

The Reaper laughed. "Fantasia." He calmly replied. Fantasia, the word rang out. It was familiar for some reason. "At least that's my real goal. Today, however, I plan on killing you!"

"Why?" She asked.

"What you did to my little brother is unforgivable. You intentionally erased his memory didn't you?"

"No, I came in here with out my memory." I tried to plead, however I was suddenly unable to speak. I had lost my voice.

"What? He lost his memory when he entered into this world!" The Manager replied. "I had nothing to do with that!"

"Really, then why have you edited his source code!"

"What the hell is a source code?"

_If those glowing barcodes was a source code, perhaps it was the Nanomachines._

The Manager fired another fully charged shot at the Reaper. This time he turned his scythe so that side just knocked the energy ball away into the wall.

"You're protecting him, aren't you?" She said. She aimed her super scope at me and fired another shot. The Reaper quickly cut through the shot. "You are, you two are working together!"

I really wished he actually let that hit me.

"Sorry, but I can't let him die just yet. He is absolutely vital to my plans!"

_Crap..._

That was just the absolute worse thing that he could have said.

"You brought him here!" She shouted. "It's your fault!"

"She's stubborn, isn't she?" The Reaper asked.

I sat there horrified.

"It looks like she is just going to believe it to the bitter end, that you're responsible for everything. Apparently she could never of thought that it was one of her Smashers that led me in here."

He suddenly threw a badly bruised Lucas. Going by the smell of urine, and his clothes being wet, I figured the Reaper had tortured him. "What did you do that for?" I asked.

"I didn't do anything." The Reaper said. "He tried to escape and get back to you, in order to warn of the upcoming attack. That was the guards who did all that to him."

"You bastard." I muttered.

The Manager and her sister began to attack the Reaper. In the back of my head I decided the best course of action was to get away from here as fast as possible. I grabbed Lucas, and carried him in my arms.

_This kid is really damn heavy!_

I used the aura to support my legs and I tried to flee, however it was much harder due to carrying Lucas. With every step it felt like my legs were going to explode.

_Damn it, what did he do to me?_

The Manager began to shout, and soon I could also hear the voice of her sister. I didn't know where else to flee, so my legs seemed to take me instinctively towards the stadium. I could hear several shots from ray guns being fired towards me, however the Reaper just blocked the attacks with his scythe. "What are you trying to do? Make sure your accomplice gets in with the Smashers so you can kill them all!"

I kept running however I suddenly tripped. Quickly I turned around so that I would hit the ground and that Lucas would be safe. It hurt. I estimated that he was about 100 pounds. How I carried him, I had no idea, I guess the aura actually helped increase my strength, or maybe it was adrenaline. Suddenly I was unable to move. It was as though I had exhausted all of my strength just trying to run away with Lucas.

"Damn it wake up." I muttered.

I could hear three sets of feet rushing towards me. I tried to look up over Lucas and saw the Manager, her sister, and the Reaper quickly rushing towards me.

_This is bad..._

The Reaper suddenly disappeared and reappeared right above me, he reached for Lucas' and pulled him up by the shirt, it was actually a wonder that the shirt didn't rip. He then delivered a kick that sent me into the air and flying into a wall. I slid down the wall, and was now sitting on the ground. He then threw Lucas into me. I cried out in pain.

"So, you're still trying to protect your accomplice, aren't you?" The Manager said.

_How the hell are you getting that we're accomplices? He's practically killing me!_

"You're just buying time!" The Manager's sister said.

"You're right." The Reaper replied. "I am just buying time. Now, if you try to attack Nugai, Lucas will also get hurt!"

The Manager however didn't care. "Kill them both!" She said. "We'll just tell the Smashers that Nugai sided with you, and killed Lucas."

The Manager's sister held up a ray gun and aimed it directly at me. However before she could pull the trigger, The Reaper had beheaded her with his scythe. I stared in shock. It took the Manager several seconds to figure out what just happened, and then she began to scream. I looked at the Reaper, even though he was covered in a cloak, I could tell that he had no hesitation.

The Reaper picked up the Manager's sister's head and held it by the long hair. "Now, then Manager, how quickly are you going to join your sister?" The Reaper asked.

The Manager just suddenly collapsed to her knees and began to cry. Lucas also began to stir.

_Now you wake up... Damn it._

Lucas slowly woke up. He was rather shocked to see me against the wall, and in rather bad condition.

"Lucas, you're conscious, I'm glad. I'm going to have to personally thank you for everything. This attack was only possible after you had given me all of the information. I didn't think you were the kind of person!" The Reaper laughed.

The Manager was crying, her eyes still transfixed on her sister's beheaded corpse.

"You sold out everyone in the Smashers just so your brother and mother could be brought back to life." He said. Lucas buried his head into his arms in shame. He couldn't bear to look at me. "There's no use hiding Lucas, I told you that in order to bring them back, two people have to die."

How was I supposed to react to this? The Reaper killed the assistant manager, just so he could revive Lucas' mother and brother. This didn't sound too believable.

"Lucas, we need to get out of here." I said. "Can you help me up?"

Lucas glanced at me. He was shaking. His eyes were running, and snot was falling down his nose. There was suddenly a bright white light, I felt some pain go away, and I could suddenly move. Slowly I got back up. "Can you walk, Lucas?" I asked.

He nodded, and also got up. However, I had difficulty walking away, during all of this, when I tripped, I must have sprained my ankle. Immediately, Lucas supported me, and we walked away. Lucas looked down at the ground in shame; he brought up the sleeve of his t-shirt and quickly wiped his face. "I'm sorry, Nugai." He apologized.

"Don't apologize until we're back with all of the Smashers." I said. Lucas just continued to tear up. "Your safe and that's all that matters."

"But the assistant manager..."

"Don't worry about her." I said. "They wanted to use you Smashers as experiments."

He continued to support me. I could hear the sounds of battle resuming. "Listen, Lucas, there is a room in the HQ that is 500 meters underground. The Smashers have evacuated to there. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah." Lucas said.

"Let's go there. Everyone's waiting." A faint smile crossed his face. All we could do now was walk forwards.

A metal gate suddenly fell down, blocking our way. We looked at the gate in shock. I was about to use my beam sword to cut through it, however, The Reaper appeared and grabbed my hand. "Don't." He said. "Each of these security gates are flowing with enough electricity to kill you." Lucas was in shock; he tried to walk away from the Reaper.

"What are you doing here, aren't you trying to kill the Manager?"

"She got away." The Reaper said. "She used a smoke ball, and fled into these hallways. It's just a giant maze down here, and now she is planning on leading us somewhere."

The Reaper began to walk forwards, following the hallways that weren't blocked by security gates. Against our better judgment we followed. As soon as we stepped into the hall way the security gate fell down and locked. "This could be a trap."

"It could be, and it probably is." The Reaper replied. "Let's spring it."

We followed. Lucas was shaking, and his stomach began to growl. I wished I had kept something to munch on for the day, at least then, I could have given him something to eat right now. Although, if I did, it probably would have been crushed into billions of little crumbs by now.

Eventually, the hallways led to a room. Waiting just inside the doors was the manager. We all stepped in.

"Welcome to your funerals!" She laughed.

I realized where we were. We were in the item room. The manager just laughed, having grabbed several motion sensor bombs and bob-ombs. "I'll blow all of you to hell!" She said gritting her teeth. "I'll fucking kill all of you!"

The Reaper just ran for the Manager. I quickly grabbed Lucas and we ran away. I heard a deafening explosion, and felt a shockwave against my back, but we continued to run. Both of us were gasping for air when we finally decided to look back.

"Nugai..." Lucas nervously said.

I didn't know how to respond. All that had just happened. Suddenly there was a scythe around my neck, ready to cut it off at a moment's notice. "You survived!" I said shocked.

"Now Lucas, I've got one person for the sacrifice." The Reaper said. "Your mother or your brother, or do you want both."

Lucas just looked at The Reaper terrified. Once again, he wet himself. I couldn't blame him, I was positive that if my bladder was full I would have wet myself. "Choose Lucas, Claus, or Hinawa? Or you could have them both. Just say the word, and then you can all live safely at the Nowhere Islands."

"What about the Manager, didn't you kill her all ready?" Lucas asked.

"She decided to die rather than be killed. I don't have anything to sacrifice for a revival." The Reaper said. "Not even a single speck of her survived."

Lucas actually surprised me. He attacked the Reaper head on with a psychic blast. This forced both the scythe away from my neck and him back. For a moment, Lucas looked brave and strong. "I don't want you to revive them, at least not this way! I don't want their lives to be brought back by you killing others!"

It took the Reaper a few seconds to react. He was possibly still in shock that Lucas fought back against him. "Very well then. If that is what you wish."

He began to walk away. "Wait, that's it?"

"I guess," the Reaper said. "I restored your memories, and killed those two. I've done all that I wanted to." He began to walk away again however he suddenly stopped; he turned around and faced us once again. This time, he removed the hood to his cloak. He had short blonde hair, and hazel eyes. "Lucas, based upon what just happened, if the Smashers won't accept you back, I'll tell the guards to let you in. And Nugai, if you wish to join us, you may as well."

"What makes you think that I'll join you?" I asked.

"Because, in two days the Smash HQ will fall. Along with all of the Smashers."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

The Reaper just began to walk away.

I didn't hear if he responded. Perhaps due to exhaustion I blacked out.

* * *

When I came to sometime later I was in the hospital wing. Sitting beside my bed was Lucas. He was now wearing some clean clothes, and has some bandages across his face. Dr. Mario walked into the room, and looked down at me. "We really should just have you rent out a permanent bed here," he said. "Although I'm surprised that you made it out against the Reaper in that condition. You only had 50 broken bones."

I just sighed. "Only 50 broken bones?"

"Well, yeah, only 50 bones were broken. There were of course multiple fractures on each bone, and two of your ribs were a fine powdered dust. I forgot to mention all of the internal bleeding and-"

"Okay, I get it." I sighed. "Please tell me when I can leave."

"All right, I'll get the paperwork ready." Dr. Mario walked away.

I looked at Lucas. His hands were on his knees. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"It looks like you've been here for quite a while." I sighed.

Lucas just nodded. "Ever since you came out of surgery."

"Have you talked to any other Smashers?" I wondered.

"I'm afraid." Lucas said. "What will they say?"

"A lot." I said. Here I was, lying down in front of the person who betrayed the Smashers, all for his mother and brother to be revived. "Are you really sure you don't want your mother and brother back?"

"Not like that." Lucas replied. "Now the Manager and the assistant manager are dead, and it's all my fault!"

I was silent. I didn't know what to say. "In this world, there are dark forces that even we don't know about." A voice said. I was suddenly paralyzed with fear. There was something intense about this voice. It was both filled with compassion and power. Lucas was also looking around rather afraid. "Lucas, and you Nugai, please come to the Manager's office to meet us."

Dr. Mario rushed in; he had also heard the voice. "I guess it's time for you to meet them."

"Them?"

"Go, and find out. I've discharged you from the hospital wing." He said.

We began to walk out of the hospital wing. We walked to the elevator, however it was out of order. We both let off a heavy sigh and began to walk up the stairs. Several minutes later we came to the Manager's office. We both paused. "Someone is beyond this door." I said. I tried to use aura, however, I couldn't see past the door. My hand reached for the door. My heart was pounding with both fear and excitement.

I turned the knob and walked in.

The office looked the same, however, floating behind the desk were two giant gloved hands.

It took me a few seconds to actually realize that they were alive and not just giant decorations that the Manager had in her office.

"Welcome, Nugai, and Lucas." one of them said. "I am Master Hand, and this is my brother Crazy Hand."

I paused for a few seconds. "Um... Who's who, I can't tell who's talking."

"I am Master Hand." The hand on the right said, as he waved.

"And I'm Crazy Hand!" The other hand said. His voice was frantic.

"First, I have to apologize for what the Manager did." Master Hand said. "She was hired to manage some public relations, I guess that just failed miserably. She got power hungry and well, you now know the result. I am the real leader of the Smashers."

"I see." I said.

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions." Master Hand said.

"Yes." I said. "However, I don't think now is the time for them. We have to get out of the Smash HQ right now!"

If the two hands could some how see, I think they were looking at me rather puzzled.

"Yes, that's right!" Lucas said. "The Reaper said that there will be an attack in two days! We will all be killed."

Master Hand suddenly seemed hesitant. "I see. Well, I'll tell everyone that we're getting out of the Smash HQ before anyone attacks. Nugai, Lucas. Tomorrow will be the last day in the Smash HQ. We will move to the Smash Mansion, which is hidden. We leave tomorrow evening. When we get to the Smash Mansion, I'll answer any questions you have Nugai. Also, I've returned the stuff that the Manager stole from your room."

"Thank you." I said.

We were dismissed. We both went down to the cafeteria for something to eat. Ness had come over to Lucas, and asked if he was okay.

We ate. A few other Smashers came over patting Lucas' back and voicing their concerns. Lucas just seemed to be really happy to be back.

When I was done, I walked away. Mewtwo seemed to be the only one who noticed me going away. "Where are you going?" He asked, as he teleported by my side.

"Up to my room." I said. "I need to sleep."

Mewtwo just nodded. "Very well then." He said. "I guess you don't have to worry about the Manager trying to kill you in your sleep any more."

"Right." I said.

Mewtwo just watched as I walked away. I didn't feel like taking the stairs, so I went in the elevator. I just leaned against the back wall, and I broke down. I began to cry, I was afraid.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

The elevator door opened and I walked out, dragging my feet, nearly tripping and falling several times.

I just wanted to disappear.

I got to my door and opened it. I locked the door. I fell back and slid down, until I was sitting on the floor. I punched the wall several times, doing more damage to my hand then to the wall.

I got back up and then went over to my dresser. Everything was back in my possession. Even the Wii.

I put the disk of Super Smash Bros Brawl in the Wii, picked up a remote, and went over to the window to start the game.

Or at least I would have started the game if there wasn't a stupid system update.

"System update. Damn it!" I clicked okay. However by the time it was done with the update, I didn't care anymore. I just collapsed on the bed.

"Well, Toon Link, I guess I now have an adventure to tell you." I chuckled. Soon after, I fell asleep.

* * *

**The Manager is dead. The Reaper has a plan for Nugai, and threats are lurking around the corner. **


	16. Day 15: Regret

Day 15: Regret

I woke up rather early. I don't know what it was or why. I got up and looked around the room. The Wii was glowing with a blue light. I quickly turned it on. I then went over to check for any new messages. There was one. I clicked it.

"You've been in here for 15 days. Are you afraid yet? Your memories should be slowly coming back by now. If you want to join us, come out to the park. I'll send some people to pick you up." I just deleted the message.

_Like hell I'd join you… Wait, did you type all that out with the pointer controls and the onscreen keyboard? Good grief, don't you have better things to do with your time?_

The room around be began to get blurry. And my head began to spin. I could tell that several of my memories had returned, not that it was anything important. I remembered my first dog's name, along with several other pet names. Nothing too relevant or special. I got up and looked down at the bed, I didn't feel like going back to sleep. I wondered if any other Smashers were up right now.

_I doubt it._

I got out of my room and walked through the Smash HQ, taking in a few sights. This would be my last chance to really enjoy the Smash HQ.

I went into the Cafeteria, and looked around. There was no one else there. It looked like I was the only one up. I went to get some food, however there wasn't any workers making anything. There were only some fruits out. I grabbed a few apples and went to sit down.

When I was done the apples I looked up at a giant clock. It was still only 5:30 AM. I doubted that anyone would even be up.

A vague memory seemed to return to me. During the past few months I had been up late 'studying', in reality I had actually been waiting for the Smash Dojo to update at 2, (or was it 3?) in the morning. Boy, was my sleep schedule ever screwed up royally. The amount of caffeine I got from tea and ice cappuccino's to keep up, the afternoon powernaps that I had when I got home (and the few times in class), probably also did quite a bit of damage to my body.

_How much longer until useful memories actually return?_

I got up. I didn't know what to do or where to go.

For whatever reason I returned to my room. I looked at the games that I had. My hands went over each of the cases, and then automatically stopped on one. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Some more memories seemed to flow back into my head, these ones seemed much more relevant to my current situation.

_"So, what are you buying?" I could hear the Reaper's voice in my head. _

_Boy that was creepy..._

_"Well, the system for starters."_

_"Don't be a smart ass." The Reaper snapped. "I meant the games, and you knew it."_

_I laughed. "Well, Zelda, Excite Truck, and Trauma Center. And with Wii Sports bundled in I should be set for the next few months! Although Elebits comes out next month, and WarioWare Smooth Moves some time after that. And then I'm sure Super Paper Mario some time in the new year."_

_"Freak man, can I borrow some money?" He laughed. "I need to go through college soon."_

_"No. You have a job, don't you?"_

_"I'm saving up for college."_

_"So am I!"  
_

_"Then why are you spending so much!"_

_"Well I've got everything planned out." I said. "Besides, I'm staying here in town, I don't need to spend money on food, or residence."_

_"You know, being in residence might do you some good. It might help you break out of your shell."_

I came back to reality, letting off a heavy sigh. Well thankfully that one was a little bit more relevant to my current situation.

I decided to play a game. Eventually deciding on The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, perhaps hoping that it could trigger more memories. The first file was 100% completed. All of the heart containers were there. The name on the file was "Link".

I stared a new game, using the name Nugai. After two hours of playing, most of them being frustrated at the stupid fishing controls, and only getting a fish after putting down the remote so it didn't move, I gave up. Well, at least now I really knew who Colin was.

There was suddenly a knocking at the door. Quickly I turned off the Wii and the TV. I then opened the door. Standing there was Lucas. "Hello Nugai." He said.

"Hey."

"I was wondering if you were up." Lucas said.

"Yeah." I said.

"Want to go get food now?" Lucas asked. "There is something I want to talk to you about."

"Sure." I said.

We walked down to the cafeteria. It was much more lively this time around. Although I seemed to notice quite a few glares from some of the Smashers. I got some more food, and sat down. Just as some Smashers were getting ready to leave, Master Hand appeared in the room.

"Hello!" He said. Everyone didn't really move a muscle, I guess they all knew about a giant talking hand. There were a few responses, also saying hello or good morning. A few seconds later Master Hand began to talk again. "Well, Smashers, tonight, we will be moving out of the Smash HQ and into the Smash Mansion. Please get everything you're taking with you in your room, and I'll take care of the rest. Please be ready to depart at the hanger tonight at 6 PM, sharp!"

And as sudden as Master Hand appeared, he disappeared. Some of the Smashers got up and walked out to do their own thing. "So, you wanted to talk to me about something?" I asked.

Lucas nodded. "Yes. It's about the Reaper." He said in between bites.

"What happened while you were kidnapped?" I asked.

"Nothing really, they all treated me with respect, since I was the Reaper's guest." Lucas said. "It was only when I tried to escape that they attacked me." I nodded. "I'm a bit afraid of everyone now. What will they think if they knew I sold them all out to the Reaper?"

"I don't think anything." I said. "For your own safety, keep it to yourself, don't worry about anything. Okay?"

Lucas nodded. "They're probably all preoccupied with thoughts on the Manager and her sister's death though."

"Yeah." I said.

Besides, I had a feeling that the blame for the attack might be going to me. I had a motive to work together with the Reaper to kill the Manager and her sister. He helped me in the past. Ah well, 20 more days and it wouldn't matter. I could endure any hate for that long.

There was a jolt of pain going through my head.

_"You'll just ruin our project." A voice said. I didn't recognize it. _

_"Who would want to be in a group with you?"_

_"No one likes you."_

_"Boo!"_

_None of those voices were familiar. All I heard was insults and ridicule._

I must have gone white. "Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

I looked around the cafeteria, trying to get back to reality for a few seconds. "Yeah, I think so."

"You don't look so good." Lucas said. "Maybe it was something you ate."

"Yeah maybe." I said. "I think I might need some fresh air."

"Maybe you should go to Dr. Mario." Lucas suggested.

I walked out of the cafeteria. I didn't exactly want to go to Dr. Mario. I figured that I should go back to the old man playing chess in the park, and tell him about what's going on.

On my way I bumped into Snake. Literally. "I'm sorry." I apologized.

"No, I was the one at fault." Snake replied. "Sorry, my mind has been in other places recently. Be careful Nugai."

"Thanks." I said, thinking nothing of it. I walked out of the Smash HQ and looked around at the city. I inhaled, but began to cough. There was so much smog and pollution. Living here probably wasn't a good thing. No one seemed to notice that I was a Smasher and was out and about into the city.

I really didn't understand, eventually just assuming that they were used to the Smashers walking around the city. I looked in the windows of several shops. Eventually, I made it to the park.

I approached the old man who was playing chess once again. "I'm surprised you came out."

"I wanted to talk to you again."

"And you're unguarded. You're quite gutsy." How did he know that? He suddenly began to rearrange the chess pieces so that only the white king remained in an open area. All of the black pieces suddenly surrounded the white king. "You're quite vulnerable right now."

"They are recovering from the attack from the Reaper. The manager and her sister had been killed." I explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" He inquired.

"I figured you would want to know."

He just sighed. "No, not particularly. I don't care for the well being of the Smashers. But what I do care about is your restored memories."

"How did you-"

"Please, let's talk over a game." He quickly began to rearrange the pieces.

Once again we began to play a game of chess.

We talked a bit about my restored memories. He seemed interested in the few memories that I had gotten back. Specifically, the one that I had just gotten back this morning.

"So, it sounds like you faced a bit of hardship." He said.

"Yeah."

"Kids can be so cruel, don't you think?" Tabuu said.

I just nodded.

"You've gotten much better." Tabuu noted. "I guess in your memories you played chess."

"Yeah." I replied. "The Reaper taught me how to play. He was really pissed off the first time I beat him." I suddenly stopped and realized what I just said. More of my memories had returned with out me realizing it.

"So, the Reaper taught you how to play chess. In that case, you will probably be the best sort of person to fight against him. You will know him the best."

I just sat there. We continued our game, and Tabuu still managed to beat me.

"Let's play another game." Tabuu suggested.

I nodded.

"This time however I want you to close your eyes and use aura to see the board."

I did so and used my aura on the board. Everything was weird. I looked at Tabuu, but all I could see was a vast emptiness. I didn't know what to say or do. So, I just continued playing chess against him. Whenever it was his turn, I tried to look into him with Aura, but I constantly just saw a void of darkness with no end in sight.

This only made me question who Tabuu was.

He seemed to notice that I was constantly looking into him, and took great amusement in to it. "You're turn." He would constantly remind me. I would quickly make my move and return to trying to pierce whatever darkness there was.

"Your aura is amateurish." He eventually said. I just flinched. "Besides, I don't think you want to know who I really am. If you knew who I really was, you would wonder why I'm helping you. Now, you're going to lose in a few turns. Tell me, how would the Reaper react in this situation?"

I looked at the board. I could see it, within a few moves, no matter what I did, I would be defeated. "He would go all out." I replied. "He would take as many pieces as he could with him."

Tabuu nodded. "Good. But, can you last 5 turns in this situation?"

I looked at the board once again. It was possible, to have my King survive for five turns, but that would mean, I would have to sacrifice every single piece.

"I can, but the pieces would all be taken out of the game."

"Tell me, would you sacrifice the Smasher's lives for your own?" Tabuu wondered.

"No." I said.

"Let's start a new game." Tabuu said.

He rearranged the pieces once again. And we played another game.

"You seem to know a lot." I said, "Is there a way to disconnect the two worlds, so that more people like me aren't dragged here?"

"You ask a dangerous question." He laughed. "Those that rule this world, that council, believes that this is the only way for the world to remain prosperous. We feed off of the thoughts of your world. If your world were to stop making videogames, our world would step into decline. The same thing would happen if you seal the entrance. Everyone would be forced to continue doing what they have been doing in an endless loop, ignorant that this world drifts slowly to destruction."

"There has to be a way around that!" I shouted. "A way to seal it so that people can't be sucked in, yet at the same time, make sure that this world doesn't fall apart."

"There may be. But no one has found it yet. Or, if someone has found it, the sacrifice required was too great."

Wait what?

"How did this start?" I asked. I honestly wasn't expecting an answer. But if I knew, perhaps I could find a solution.

"It started with a fool, who played as god." There was something in his voice, a sort of familiarity; he knew what he was talking about. "He wanted to create a prosperous world. But, he lost sight of his goal and everything went wrong. He went insane. He believed that everyone in the world was his enemy, and he was banished to a different dimension, when he returned people fought against him. He tried to rip up the world."

I'm sure his tale made sense in context, but a lot of it was just gibberish to me.

"What do you mean by rip up the world?" I asked.

He ripped apart the world and built it into his own." the old man replied. "The aftermath upon this world was too great, and it would eventually be destroyed. In order to make sure that it wasn't destroyed, we opened up our world to your world to form a link."

He pulled out a gold pocket watch, in it was a strange symbol, a circle with a line going through the centre of the circle, however it only seemed to go halfway before stopping. "Our worlds were then chained together. Not physically, but you get the idea. In order to make sure that our world prospered, we allowed a select few people to know of our existence. And their thoughts would rebuild our torn world."

"I see."

"However it had the side effect of sucking people into this world."

"So where is an exit?" I asked. "Where were the worlds originally linked?"

The old man just laughed. "Even if you knew, I doubt you would be able to get there."

"Try me. I made it in here, I can make it out."

"So, what exactly do you think you are?" He questioned. "Some kind of world traveler?"

"Maybe." I replied. "After all, I did jump between worlds."

"Normally I hate people like you. Those that can go between worlds with little consequence. But you are different."

"I lost my memories so you have pity over me?" I questioned.

"Perhaps. You suffered a consequence." He calmly replied.

"I wonder, if I return to my world, will I retain my memories of this place?"

"Perhaps. Or you may lose them again."

"It might be better that way." I calmly said. "I doubt that anyone would believe me if I told them that I was sucked into a videogame. That sort of stuff gets you thrown into the asylums."

He laughed.

"Ah well, I know there is at least one place that I can tell my story with out raising any eyebrows." I calmly said. "Although, I know no one will believe me there. It will just appear to be as fictional as anything else on the website. In fact, stories like this are posted all the time about how someone is sucked into their favourite game."

"Think any of them are true? Did you read any of them?"

"No, and not really. I tried to read a few, but they were abandoned or went on for far too long." I sighed. "In hindsight, I should have really read a completed one, and seen how they got out of this world. But, my guess would be once they finished the plot of the game. Unfortunately, I know that my adventure so far has had little resemblance to the plot of the game I was sucked into."

He let off a small laugh. Suddenly he looked down at the board. "We're surrounded." He muttered. "By others from your world." I didn't know what to do, I began to glance around. "Don't draw attention that you know that they are there, they will attack. Let's just continue to play this game. If they approach us I will take care of them."

"Understood." I said. I just played the game of chess.

"All right then, listen, have you ever heard of Akashic Points?"

"No." I replied.

"Okay, they are points in this world and yours where strange things happen. It's believed that people can crossover. There is also another important thing about these points. They hold something called an Akashic Record. If there is ever a point where you can find out anything about everything that has ever happened, it's there."

"So, all I have to do is go there?" I asked.

"Perhaps, but I don't know where any Akashic points are located." Tabuu replied. "Actually, wait, that's not true."

"Where is it?" I asked, perhaps a bit too loudly.

"The centre of the Universe." He calmly replied.

I on the other hand just stared blankly at him. "What?" the words somehow managed to escape my mouth.

"In a small town, there is a train station," Tabuu quickly began to explain. "It has been established that it is in fact the centre of the universe."

"How does that even work?" I questioned. "Does the entire universe somehow rotate around this single train station?"

"Don't ask me." Tabuu replied. "It's the magic of an Akashic Point. Okay. Listen, it is located in a town known as Smashville."

I sighed. I figured by now it had become painfully obvious that we weren't actually playing a game of chess and were fully aware of the four people watching over us.

They approached us. "Don't try to resist, you aren't a match for any of us!" They laughed.

Tabuu just grabbed all sixteen pawns. "You are nothing more than a pawn. I don't see why I can't be able to beat you."

The four of them glared at Tabuu. He fired four pawns at each of them. All of the pawns hit their targets. Now they were just nothing more than four people lying on the ground, unconscious.

Someone else began to clap. "Congratulations."

He was cloaked in a black cloak, while on his chest there was a red circle with four lines through it, dividing it into eight sections. Tabuu's expression suddenly switched to that of a serious one.

"Nugai, get back!" Tabuu ordered.

"That's not my name..." I muttered. I don't know why, but everything suddenly felt dangerous, that within a single moment I could be killed. "Wait, is he The Reaper?"

The person just began to laugh! "Hahahaha! I'm not some weakling like that guy! Now please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Maou."

I had to wonder, if The Reaper was there, would he of attacked Maou.

"And what do you want?" Tabuu asked.

"I just wanted to see Nugai." Maou casually replied.

"That isn't my name." I groaned annoyed.

"It doesn't mater. Anyways, you may not believe me, but I come from the future." Maou said.

"I don't believe you." I quickly replied.

"I knew you wouldn't. Such a claim is hard to believe. But I'm from a future that has been screwed up by you!"

_Ah crap..._

"Don't listen to him!" Tabuu snapped. "His words are poison."

"So, I'm going to kill you!" Maou said. "No hard feelings."

"Wait, what?"

There was a sudden energy ball that rushed towards me, however in front of me appeared a giant robot that blocked the attack. "Why did you call me out Tabuu?" The robot asked.

"Galleom, we have a pest to take care of." Tabuu replied. He snapped his fingers and another robot appeared. This one seemed to be two robots fused together in one. "Duon, let's kill him!"

Maou however just began to laugh. "Please, Tabuu, you don't stand a chance against me! You didn't in the future. What makes you think you even stand a chance now!"

A sphere of darkness appeared in Tabuu's hand. He lifted it up and it suddenly expanded. There was also a weak wave of energy that pushed me back, and left me lying on the ground. When I looked up there was a giant purple sphere of darkness. However as soon as it appeared it disappeared. Something suddenly came back to me.

_In this world... trophies fight. Fighting is the sole reason for their existence. These are the rules of this world. However when someone or something breaks those rules, the world will pay a terrible price._

I didn't know what that memory meant. And I didn't really have any time to think it over; all four of those people who tried to attack me had regained their composure, and had now surrounded me. "Are you going to come with us or die?" One asked.

"I'll take a third option." I said. "I'll kick your asses, and live."

They threw several punches, however, I could see all of them coming towards me in slow motion. I just effortlessly dodged all of their punches, even the ones that were aimed at the back of my head. I quickly pulled out the beam sword and slashed one of them, surprisingly, it didn't cut through him, but it still hurt him as though he had been struck by a blunt object. I quickly jumped into the air, using Aura to send me even higher.

"Is he really from the same world as us?" One asked.

"That's what the boss said." Another replied.

"Why would he learn this world's abilities?"

"It doesn't matter, he's soft, if he was serious, we would all be dead by now. The boss won't find out if we kill him, we will just tell him that he fought back and we couldn't take him peacefully."

Part of me was telling me to run back to the Smash HQ. That they wouldn't be able to follow me there, and that the Smashers would help fight them off.

"Are you crazy, the boss knows everything." Another said. "He even knows that they plan on escaping tonight and moved the planned attack to then."

I was in shock How did the Reaper know that?

I held out my beam sword. "Come!"

All four of them rushed towards me.

I wasn't sure what it was. Was it because I was angry, or was it because I was determined to get back to the Smash HQ and warn everyone? Whatever the reason was, I put up a shield to block their attacks, however it was much bigger, and actually pushed them away. I was slightly shocked that I had done that, but quickly regained my composure. I didn't know if they had more people out there, and if our fight would have gotten their attention. It would be better for me to end this quickly. All of them got back up, and I put my aura over my beam sword. They all rushed towards me, and I sprang towards them. By putting some aura into my feet, I was able to run much faster. I swung my beam sword and cut through all four of them.

It took me a few seconds to realize what I just did. I turned around and they were screaming in pain, on the ground.

I stared absolutely horrified, shaken. I killed them with out a second thought.

_What the hell?_

There was a sudden clapping through the air. "Good job Nugai." I felt a chill go down my spine. Walking towards me was The Reaper. "I knew you had it in you."

"No!" I shouted back. "I only did it in self defense!"

"Excuses." The Reaper said. "How much of your memories have returned?" I backed away from him. "Not a lot I see."

The four of them began to scream in pain. Their bodies suddenly began to disintegrate. "Help us!" They pleaded.

However the Reaper just remained indifferent. Their screams went through the park, until eventually they had fully disintegrated.

"What happened?" I asked.

"They died." The Reaper replied, completely indifferent. "Tabuu was right, they were just pawns. Pawns sent to die by your hand."

"They were just like us, from our world!" I said.

"Yes, indeed." The Reaper said. "However, they weren't equals like us. Join me, Nugai, and we can return to our world."

"No." I said.

The Reaper chuckled. "I see. Will you oppose me, and Project Fantasia?"

"Yes!" I replied.

_Wait, Project Fantasia, what's that? It sounds familiar... He said something about Fantasia yesterday to the Manager._

"I guess it's too late for you then. I can't believe that you would turn your back on our dream." The Reaper sighed. "Well, the next time we meet, I will be ready to kill you with out any hesitation. Your memories better come back soon. If they do, you better find me if you want to live."

The Reaper disappeared. I quickly ran for the Smash HQ. They had to know that the Reaper all ready knew about us leaving early, and planned on attacking. But then, how would I say that with out acting suspicious? Would the Smashers still trust me, or would they think that I'm a mole.

Much to my surprise Snake was out there to greet me. "You're coming with me kid." He said.

"Snake, I need to talk to Master Hand."

"He all ready knows." Snake said.

"What? How?"

"I put a bug on you when we bumped in earlier. We heard the majority of what happened."

"The majority?"

"The bug was destroyed, we were beginning to fear the worst and I was going to go out and look for your remains." Snake said.

"What was the last thing you heard?"

"About how the Reaper knew about our plans to escape and was planning on attacking tonight." Snake said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I didn't have to bother with explaining how I knew that. But I wondered how the bug was destroyed. "Going by the power surge, you let off a large amount of aura didn't you?" Snake asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Bloody kid, you almost blasted out my ears." Snake said.

"I'm sorry." I apologized.

"Well, all that matters now is that you're safe." Snake said. "Let's go in."

We went into the Smash HQ. Everyone was quickly running around. "There have been a change in plans, we're going now."

"Now?" I said.

"Yeah, Master Hand believed that this was the best course of action to take." Snake continued. "So, is everything you need in your room?"

"Yeah." I replied.

However I suddenly remembered about Chocolate. "Wait, where's my cat?"

"Snake just seemed to cringe in pain. "Is it black?"

"Yes."

"It's in my cardboard box." Snake said. "It wouldn't let me get it. And that cat is vicious!"

I just let off a small chuckle. Despite being declawed, Chocolate was still able to leave some pretty nasty scratches. "I've had some pretty nasty cuts from Chocolate before." I said. "A word of advice, don't close the box and try to move it."

Snake nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

I went into the cafeteria. Ness, Lucas, Toon Link, Popo, and Nana were all sitting at a table. I walked over and sat down with them. "Nugai, are you okay?"

"Yeah." I said. "I just had a four people try to kill me. The scare of my life. Someone telling me I would destroy the future. So, nothing new since I came here."

They let out some nervous laughter. We began to talk. Eventually we were called by Captain Falcon. "All right kids, and lazy asses!" I looked around the room, also sitting in the cafeteria was Pit, Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario, and King Dedede. "It's time to go. Say good by to this place."

We all got up and walked out of the cafeteria. Everyone seemed a little depressed. I glanced around. After everyone was out, the lights turned off. We went to an elevator and began to go down. I figured we were going to that room that was 500 meters underneath the ground. Eventually the elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

We were suddenly in a giant hanger. In front of us was a giant ship. I just stared in awe. "This is the Pleiades." Fox said walking towards us. "Everyone else is inside all ready."

"If we're attacked, will this protect us?" I asked.

"We will find out."

I didn't like Fox's tone of voice. We got into the Pleiades. It was much bigger than it looked on the outside. We all sat down and remained quiet. It was tense. There was a brief head count, and after determining that everyone was here the engines started up. I didn't know what to do. I just closed my eyes and hoped that this would be over soon.

* * *

I was consumed by darkness. "They have abandoned the Smash HQ earlier than anticipated." A voice said.

"No, I predicted this would happen." The Reaper replied. His voice was coming from my body, or rather, I was in his body. "Shoot down the ship as it is escaping! Capture him alive."

* * *

I awoke with a start. I jumped out of my seat, everyone looked at me like I was crazy. "He knows we're escaping by ship!" I said. "He's going to shoot us down the moment we are seen."

They all looked at me like I was crazy. "What?" Ness said flatly.

"I just had a dream, The Reaper ordered for the ship to be shot down as it's escaping."

"It's just a dream, right?" Lucas questioned.

"Dreams are mysterious things." Mewtwo said. "I fear that Nugai may be right."

"Don't worry." Master Hand said, floating towards us. "I've got everything planned out. There are five Pleiades planning on launching at the same time."

The Pleiades suddenly started moving. I felt myself being forced back into the seat. I looked out the window as we emerged from what appeared to be a cliff side. Below us was an ocean. The Pleiades began to go higher, and I could see the city. Flying above the city was four other copies of the ship. Each one of them was having lasers being fired at them. It took me several seconds to wonder why our ship wasn't having lasers being fired.

I looked out however couldn't see any wings of any other features from the ship. It then hit me, we were cloaked. I closed my eyes, however we were suddenly hit by something. The entire ship began to shake. Everyone began to panic.

_Damn it! How did they know we were cloaked!_

"The cloaking isn't perfect." Roy pounded his fist. "It acts as a mirror, and reflects the surroundings!"

Snake gritted his teeth. "We can't be shot down. There has to be something this ship has."

"There is." Fox said. "We've been modifying this ship so that it has reflector shields much like our own. However the problem is, if we activate those shields, they will drain all of the power from the ship and leave us defenseless."

Snake glanced at Lucas, and Ness. "Get those kids generating electricity with the two mice!" He barked.

"What?" Everyone said.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Snake said. "If we want to live, we have to do this!"

Ness and Lucas quickly got up. Pikachu and Pichu also followed. Ness however stopped them. "I can do this myself." Ness said. Everyone just looked at him shocked.

"You're going to need all the energy you can get." Snake said.

"I'll use all the energy that they throw at us." Ness said.

Ness disappeared, and soon there was a strange barrier around us. "Is this PSI Magnet?" I asked.

"Yeah." Lucas replied. "It feels like it, but I didn't know Ness could do something like this."

"The kid can do amazing things." Snake said. "He constantly has to have his powers repressed, otherwise he would alter reality with out knowing it. This is only a small taste of what he can do."

"How do you know that Snake?" Dr. Mario wondered.

"If you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the results of 100 battles." Snake replied. "I researched everyone for when I would get to fight you."

The ship began to shake once again. We looked out of the window and the PSI Magnet had vanished. "What happened?" I asked.

"They switched from energy weapons to something else." Falco shouted frustrated. "Damn it! Get us out of here!"

"I'm trying!" Fox shouted back.

The Pleiades was buffeted by more attacks. Each one shook the ship. Smoke began to enter into the ship. All of the Smashers began to cough.

_This is bad._

Everyone was panicking.

"Everyone get ready for a quick warp and then an emergency ejection!" Fox shouted. "Meet up at the Smash Mansion!"

The ship began to fly away; the city underneath us had vanished. Now it was just forests and more forest. Suddenly the ship was out of control. The seats suddenly began to eject. The seat went down into the ground and then was covered by a bubble, and was then shot out of the Pleiades. Several moments later the Pleiades exploded. I hoped that everyone got out safely.

In the bubble, it felt like I was floating in air. The bubble shot towards a forest and impacted in it. Somehow I didn't feel any shock. After several minutes the bubble popped and I stepped out of it.

I was now alone; I didn't know where any of the other Smashers had gone. I was alone in the woods. What could I do?

My cell phone began to ring. Quickly I answered it, perhaps hoping that it was another Smasher. The thought of normally not even being capable of getting service in the woods never even occurred to me. "Hello?" I said. Perhaps it was a bad idea, as on the other end was The Reaper.

"I knew you would survive." The Reaper said. "Now continue surviving!"

"Wait!" I said. "How did you know that I survived?"

"There is a mole in the Smashers." The Reaper replied. "You ought to watch your back."

"You're lying!" I said, trying to remain calm. "You're lying. I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want to believe. And just as word of warning, it gets quite cold during the night." The Reaper replied, before hanging up.

I looked around. I was in the middle of nowhere, and I didn't know what to do. I looked at the seat, and then noticed that there was a strange container underneath it. I reached for it and opened it up. Inside were some basic survival tools. A small knife, some matches, some nuts and dried raisins, a blanket, a poncho, and some stuff for first aid. I put the blanket over my shoulders and covered myself with the poncho. Almost immediately the poncho seemed to make me blend in with the environment. I looked at it; I figured it must have been made out of some special material.

I closed my eyes, and used aura to try and find any other Smashers that had fallen. However I couldn't see any humans. I realized that my ability to perceive was also extremely limited. I wouldn't be able to do giant distances. I focused for several minutes; I learned that the radius I could perceive was about 20 meters. However, if I focused on just one direction that distance could be raised to about 30 meters. I'm sure it could help a bit.

I also learned that the poncho suppressed aura, so that if the other Smashers had used it I wouldn't be able to find them.

For the time being I gathered the remaining materials and got away from the seat. When I had gotten 20 meters from the seat I suddenly heard a noise I turned around and saw that the seat was collapsing upon itself. It then vanished. The only trace that something used to be there was branches that had been broken. I quickly collected several of the branches and began to run.

Eventually I found a cave to hide in. I went in, however a moment later I paused. I closed my eyes, and saw inside was a bear.

_Crap_

I backed out of the cave. However it was able to sense me and followed. Quickly I pulled out the beam sword, and got ready for the kill, if it was necessary. However the bear didn't pursue further. I decided to walk further, until I found another cave. This time I looked in using aura and saw nothing inside. I looked out, it was beginning to get dark and I was beginning to get cold. I just started a fire deep in the cave, I also made sure that no light would give away my location.

I warmed myself and began to think about how I was going to reunite with the Smashers.

When the fire died down I fell asleep.

To be continued...

* * *

**Achievement unlocked: fourth wall breaking joke about posting a story where the shameless self insert character will write about their adventures on this website.**


	17. Day 16: Escape

Day 16: Escape

When I had woke up, I was rather cold. I quickly got up and took a leak on some of the rocks. I quickly got out of the cave and looked around.

I looked around, not quite sure how I was going to reunite with the Smashers. For now, I decided the best course of action was to move to higher ground. I looked at several trees and began to climb up one of the taller ones. Eventually, I got high enough. There was only forest as far as the eyes could see. However there was smoke off in the distance.

I climbed down the tree, or rather, climbed down a few branches, before losing my footing and plummeting to the ground. I managed to surviving by using a burst of aura to create a cushion... at least that's what I think happened. Regardless I was now rather tired, and hungry. I began to eat the nuts and raisins that was in the survival kit and began to walk towards what looked like a hill.

I decided to go to where I saw the smoke, thinking that I might meet up with a Smasher.

In hindsight, this was an incredibly stupid idea.

When I got there, I saw several people, they were each armed with guns, and were currently putting away their camp. I however stepped on a stick and it snapped. They all suddenly froze and grabbed their guns, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. "We know you've been out there since last night, waiting to strike." One said. "Come on out with your hands above your head."

They had mistaken me for someone else. I tried to see my aura to see where this other person was. However, two people began to approach me, and I became nervous. I stopped seeing by aura and began to panic. However there was suddenly a scream from the camp. They stopped approaching me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I began to hear guns constantly being fired along with more screams. Eventually there was silence. I came out from behind the cover of the tree and saw the camp. All of the soldiers were either cut in half, their limbs were missing, or they were beheaded. There were even a few that were cut in half vertically.

The camp was now covered in blood.

"So, there was someone hiding." A voice said.

I looked at the person. He was certainly older than me, I guess in his mid-twenties. He wore a red jacket, and jeans. He also was wearing glasses, in his hand was a beam sword. "I have to thank you, because of you distracting them, I managed to kill all of them." He laughed. "And here I thought that it was just going to be a chipmunk or an animal that they were distracted by. Who are you?"

"I'm just a wanderer." I replied, hoping that the lie would be enough to stop him from questioning further. "I was going to ask them for directions but-" He had suddenly approached me.

"I don't think a wanderer would have a cloak as nice as this, one that reflects your surroundings and allows you to blend in with the environment. I recognize you now. Nugai."

_Oh crap..._

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Travis Touchdown." He replied.

"Travis Touchdown? Well thanks for helping me."

His beam sword however was right at my neck.

_Ah crap, he wants to kill me as well. _

"I saw you fighting against Marth." He said. "I'm insulted that someone like you was accepted into the Smashers, but I wasn't! Maybe the Smashers are like the UAA. If I kill you, I join."

"UAA?" I questioned. Part of me really didn't want to know what it stood for.

"The United Assassin's Association." Travis replied.

_Crap, crap, crap._

I activated my beam sword and stopped his beam weapon. "You're just an amateur, I can take you down in a few seconds!" Travis laughed. "You don't have the capacity to kill! I can see it in your eyes, you can't kill anyone!"

_You should have seen me yesterday._

"You talk too much!" I said.

I tried to distance myself from him, however Travis continued to follow me.

I quickly closed my eyes and tried to use Aura to perceive everything around me. However, due to the constant pressure from the attacking Travis, I could only see a small 5 meter radius around me. I quickly began to weave in and out of the trees; Travis on the other hand seemed to have some difficulty and was clearly getting frustrated with how I was able to know where everything was. Frustrated, Travis cut through a tree and it began to fall towards me

Using aura, I was able to react quickly and jump out of the way, however I jumped right into Travis' range.

_Oh crap!_

I realized my error too late, and Travis readied his beam sword to cut me in half. I raised mine to counter, barely stopping his. The tree fell down, creating a deafening noise. If there were any more camps of soldiers out there, I'm sure they would come rushing towards us now.

Travis began to force me back, so that I would trip over the fallen tree. My mind began to flash through several things, trying to figure out what to do. Travis quickly tried punching me, however I created a barrier to block the punch.

"What the hell!" Travis said. "It's like I punched a brick wall!"

I used this moment to jump over the log and to try and run away, however Travis followed. "You're not going anywhere!" Travis shouted.

As I passed several trees I cut through them, hoping that they would fall down towards Travis and at least impede him a bit so I could distance myself. Unfortunately, I soon ran myself right to a cliff. I looked down; it was a good 100 feet drop. Something that I wasn't likely to survive. And if I did survive, using the aura burst, I would be incredibly vulnerable. "Now that you've stopped running, where were we?"

I turned around and faced Travis. "Why did you kill all of those people?" I asked.

"Do I need a reason?" Travis wondered. "Well, I might as well tell you since you're going to die. It was my job to make sure that the soldiers in this forest didn't make it out alive."

"And why are you trying to kill me?"

"So I can take your place in the Smashers!" Travis replied.

_I'm pretty sure that isn't how the Smashers work..._

He swung his sword. I blocked with mine, however his strength was much more than I had anticipated. I was sent sliding several feet back, right to the edge. I closed my eyes terrified.

_How did he have that sort of strength?_

I don't know what it was, but I could suddenly see Travis' maximum range. I had no where to go. I then did the unthinkable.

I stepped backwards off of the cliff. I used the beam sword to help slow down my descent, and used a bit of aura to create a cushion. I survived, and felt relieved. There was no way Travis would follow me now.

Unfortunately I spoke to soon. Travis was also apparently insane. He jumped off the cliff and had used two beam swords to slow his descent.

Perhaps it was the shock, but I couldn't react until Travis was actually only twenty five feet above me.

I quickly tried to retreat, I hoped that Travis couldn't keep up with me. By putting aura in my feet I was able to run faster than I had ever ran before.

However, I really should have been more careful with where I was running.

I tripped on a root, and fell onto the ground. I looked back and saw Travis approaching me. He had his weapon ready for the kill. "It's over!" He said. He swung his sword for the kill. I closed my eyes.

"Now, playing with weapons like this is dangerous, someone could get hurt." A voice said.

"Move it old man!" Travis replied.

I opened my eyes, blocking the attack was Tabuu, who was simply holding it back with his cane. "Get up Nugai, get out of here." Tabuu said.

I obeyed. I got up and tried to flee, however, I was too concerned about Tabuu.

"You won't hurt him." Tabuu calmly said.

"Oh, and are you going to stop me old man?"

A blue energy sword appeared in his hand.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Travis laughed. He ran for Tabuu and attacked. Tabuu however blocked the attack with the energy sword.

"Go Nugai." Tabuu said. "I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

"But-"

"Go!" Tabuu said, this time in a much stronger commanding voice. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"You really ought to pay more attention to yourself than that kid Old Man!"

"What's your name?" Tabuu asked.

"Travis Touchdown!" Travis shouted.

"I see, I'll remember it." Tabuu calmly said. He teleported behind Travis and then a portal appeared beneath him. He fell.

"What just happened?"

"I teleported him out of here so our fight wouldn't gather any more unwanted attention." Tabuu calmly replied.

"What's going on in this world?" I asked.

Tabuu looked at me. "Chaos." He replied. "Wars. The Reaper caused them. He must enjoy it, like it's some sort of game to him. Everyone is just destroying themselves, and he is enjoying every second of it. And you might be at the most risk. If anyone finds out that you're from the same world as the Reaper, you could be in major trouble. And unfortunately, you're not in the safety of the Smash HQ anymore. The world is a big and scary place. It's even scarier if you're alone."

I couldn't help but feel terrified. "But I don't even know where to go."

"I can lead you to their other meeting place." Tabuu calmly replied. "They left it in favor of the Smash HQ. It has a ward, so that only those recognized as Smashers could enter the area."

"But I'm not really a Smasher." I protested.

"The necklace they gave you." Tabuu replied. I quickly pulled it out. Inside the Smash Ball pendant there seemed to be an arrow made out of energy. "It will lead you where you need to go."

"That's rather convenient." I said.

"It will also let you go through the ward." Tabuu replied. "All Smashers have this located on their person. And if it's taken you won't be recognized as an official Smasher."

"I see. I wish they explained this to me when they gave it to me." I sighed.

"Well, good luck." Tabuu said. "Hopefully, we will meet again. Follow the pendant, and trust it. It will protect you."

Tabuu began to walk into a portal. And once again I was all alone. I looked down at the necklace and began to follow where the arrow pointed.

I was afraid. At any moment someone could jump out from behind the trees and attack me. That the Manager was dead. That the Reaper was someone I knew. Everything was happening far too fast for my liking.

How many more attempts on my life was there going to be. I just sighed. I found a nice alcove and sat down. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and decided to stay there for a few minutes in order to regain my energy. I pulled out the bag of nuts and raisins. If I rationed it, I would have enough to last until tomorrow morning. I reached in and grabbed a small handful of nuts and began to eat.

"Where is everyone?" I asked to no one in particular.

I pulled out my cell phone, noting that it didn't have any reception. The battery was also beginning to get low again.

After ten minutes of resting, I got up and began to walk again. I stayed off of the normal path. Eventually the necklace led me to a river. I looked at the river and there were plenty of fish swimming around. Thinking with my stomach rather than my brain I stripped to my boxers and stepped into the river.

It was really cold. I looked around and seemed to remember watching some kung fu movie where the master would catch fish with his bare hands. I stood still for several minutes, and eventually the fish came near me. As soon as I reached for a fish it would flee.

I tried using the beam sword to impale the fish, however, the few times that I did succeed in hitting it, the river's current would immediately send the fish downstream. I reacted quickly and caught a few.

I got out of the stream and put my clothes back on. I looked back at the fish. I still needed some way to cook them.

I gathered a bunch of firewood and started a fire. Once the fish was cooked I ate it.

I looked at the necklace, and an arrow was now pointing upstream. I stood up and followed the river, until I eventually came to a waterfall. There was a perfect rock sitting underneath the waterfall. I thought about sitting on this rock to meditate and perhaps help train my aura to see farther, however just as I stepped forwards a log came crashing down upon the rock. I backed away slowly and just whimpered.

I looked once again at the necklace and it was now pointing towards the waterfall. I could actually see a cave behind the waterfall. I covered myself with the poncho and stepped behind the waterfall. The necklace directed me into the cave, and I closed my eyes and used aura to see. Within moments it was pitch black. The only light was coming from the flame in the necklace.

Everything was completely silent. I couldn't even hear the waterfall. The silence was maddening.

I suddenly felt another presence. "I've been waiting for you." A voice said. I looked around the cave however I couldn't see anything. "You won't find me by looking around."

"Who are you? Where are you?" I shouted back.

"I'm you." the voice replied.

I drew my beam sword, however for some reason it wouldn't activate.

"I can see it, all of the terror that is in your heart. How you're afraid of being alone. Imagine what would happen if the other Smashers saw you being like this." The voice laughed.

For now I decided that the best course of action was to remain calm. I sat down and closed my eyes trying to focus. However the voice didn't go away. "I know everything about you." The voice said.

"Then what is my name?" I asked.

He said something, but I couldn't make it out.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is the Cavea of Madness. Where you slowly lose your sanity and die!"

I held the necklace, it felt warm. I tried to wonder why the necklace led me here of all places. I suddenly felt the ground shake. I quickly got up and rushed back to the entrance. From behind the waterfall all I could see was fire. The forest had been set on fire.

"Was it my camp fire? No I extinguished it." I reassured myself. I suddenly saw planes flying over the burning forest. One plane dropped something in the river up ahead and it suddenly exploded. I closed my eyes and turned back into the cave. The necklace had led me into the cave of madness because it was safer.

"You're back." The voice laughed. "Did you enjoy seeing all of the destruction? It's all because of you, you know. They are desperate to find you. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter to them."

"Why?" I asked.

The voice just laughed. "The world you envisioned. They want you, they need you for the Reaper's plan."

I looked down at the necklace, it was pointing for me to go deeper into the cave. I figured that this might be the best course of action, that people would be searching for any remains or someone fleeing. I began to walk slowly.

Using aura constantly was much harder than I thought. I was all ready exhausted from constantly using it against Travis Touchdown. And now, I was about to learn how the Caves of Madness got its name. The Caves of Madness was also playing tricks on me. Illusions of bugs rushed towards me ensnaring me. I could hear creatures moaning, and scratching. "Many people come here to train their mind." The voice explained. "Eventually, most of them succumbed to madness. They went insane, either killing themselves, or starving to death. You will be the same."

I tripped and fell. In front of me was a skeleton of some other person who had gone through the Cave of Madness.

I regained my composure and began walking forwards. However I suddenly saw a light, there was a fire, and someone whimpering in front of it. The smell of urine was in the air. I walked forwards and opened my eyes. Sitting in front of the fire was Lucas. He was crying. He suddenly looked up at me. "Nugai! You're here! Thank you! Everyone is waiting inside." He rushed towards me and hugged me. I could feel it all, warmth from his body. His tears and some snot that was running down his nose was now on my shirt. "I can't go on!" Lucas said. "Nugai, please kill me."

"Lucas?"

"I saw my mother and brother in this cave. They hate me for what I did. They said I have no right to live. Please kill me!"

I looked at Lucas who was still crying on my shirt.

"Lucas?" I asked.

"Please, if it's you, I know you can do it." Lucas cried. "Please do it. Please end this."

His hand's reached for the beam sword fastened upon my belt. I tried to stop him, however in the struggle, I had hit the switch to activate the beam sword. It went right through Lucas' chest. Lucas looked up at me and just mouthed "Thank you."

"Murderer!" A voice shouted. I turned around, to see Ness. His fingertips on his right hand were glowing with a PK Fire, to help illuminate his way. His left hand was on his baseball bat. He swung it at me, however I dodged. Instead he hit Lucas who let out a scream of pain. "I'm sorry Lucas!" Ness said. "Once I deal with him, I'll help heal you!"

Ness ran towards me. As he swung with his bat, I blocked with my beam sword. He quickly reacted with a PK Thunder, which stunned me. I quickly delivered a kick that sent Ness back several feet. He however rushed right back towards me. "Murderer!" He shouted. "You're going to join the Reaper!"

I cut right through Ness' bat and right arm. His arm fell on to the ground. It took him several seconds to realize what had happened. He rushed towards me in rage, ready to attack me again. This time I cut his abdomen. "Ness, stop this." He ran for me once again. This time I stabbed right through him. "Ness, where is Dr. Mario, he can heal you." I pulled out the beam sword and Ness just fell down to the ground.

A weakened Ness crawled towards Lucas. He placed his head on Lucas' chest. "Lucas, I've always loved you." He said. "I want to be together forever. And I know a way we can." He suddenly opened his mouth and began to bite into Lucas' skin. Lucas screamed in pain.

"What the hell is going on here?" Another voice said. I turned to see Captain Falcon. He saw Ness' arm that had been cut off and the beam sword in my hand. Immediately he drew his gun and shot me in the right shoulder. I screamed in pain.

"I told you I was going to kill you if I even thought you were going to turn against us!" Captain Falcon said.

He shot again, this time I blocked with my beam sword. I ran towards him and cut him across his chest. He however stood up and punched me in the abdomen winding me. He charged up a Falcon Punch, however just before he punched I cut off his hand. I gasped for air. "This has to stop. Please stop."

However he tried to knee me, I brought up the beam sword and stabbed him right in the throat. I just collapsed on the ground exhausted, a lifeless Captain Falcon fell on the ground. I gasped for air. "Damn it, what the hell is going on." I muttered.

Slowly I stood up. The pain seemed to vanish. The feeling in my right arm disappeared. I suddenly felt as though I was intoxicated, I had a lack of reasoning. Another Smasher had shown up, this time it was Marth. He rushed for me, with his sword. I just cut through him with out hesitation.

_What's going on? This isn't like me... Is this the fault of the Caves of Madness?_

I no longer had control over my body, I just cut through each Smasher who tried to attack me. Each of them had descended into madness as well. Wolf and Fox had become feral. I killed each and every one. When they were all dead I just began to laugh. "I am the greatest Smasher!"

_No, what's going on?_

However soon I wasn't even thinking straight.

_Yes, I'm the greatest Smasher. I did all of this! I'm free! I can do whatever I want in this world! AHAHAHAHA!_

Appearing in front of me was the Reaper.

The Reaper smiled. "You did it Nugai." He said. "You killed all of the Smashers, now I'll return you back home." A portal appeared in front of me. "Go home." I walked into it.

I fell onto a bed. I had finally escaped that world. I looked up at my ceiling, and around my room. I was here. I was finally back home. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, my door was kicked down. Several armed people barged into my room. "He is the one who crossed over!"

"Capture him!"

I was restrained and taken off in a strange van. I was put into a streit jacket and put into a pure white room. I was tortured. My torturers were talking about how I went into the other world and no trace of me must be left in this world, how it must be like I never existed at all.

Time drifted to a standstill. I could feel each of my fingers being broken.

_This isn't really happening!_

Suddenly in front of me was a glowing blue man. He stretched out his hand. I reached for it and suddenly I was brought back to reality.

The old man, Tabuu, was in front of me. "You're all right."

"What happened?" I asked.

"You descended into madness." He replied.

"I killed all of the Smashers!" I said.

"No, they were just hallucinations."

I looked at my clothing. What should had been covered in blood was just covered in a little bit of dirt. Where I was shot by Captain Falcon, there was no holes. Where I was tortured by the government there were no scars.

I collapsed, everything about it felt so real. Yet none of it happened at all. Tabuu just gave me a thermos. "Drink it, it will warm you up a bit." I opened up the thermos and in it was a peppermint tea. I took in the fragrance until eventually drinking it.

"I'm quite surprised that you made it as far as you did." Tabuu said. "And I'm surprised that you decided to go into the Caves of Madness."

"This pendant led me there." I said.

Tabuu looked at the pendant. "Why would it lead you there?"

"I figured that it was safer than those people bombing the forest." I said.

"People bombing the forest?" Tabuu questioned. He closed his eyes. "I see, I think I understand now, you had been grabbed by madness earlier, and it led you into the cave. The pendant should never lead you into danger."

_I had all ready been ensnared by the illusions?_

I just continued to sit there in shock. "You said that you came and got me in the Caves of Madness. What did you see while you were in there?"

"Nothing." Tabuu said.

I wondered, what sort of man would see nothing in those caves.

"Tabuu."

"What is it?" Tabuu asked.

"I don't want to face the Smashers after what I did." I said.

"Everyone sucumbs to madness." Tabuu calmly said. "Don't be ashamed. They won't hold it against you."

"But if they knew that I killed them all, they would trust me even less."

"They won't." Tabuu said. "Trust me. Now, go to sleep, I'll make sure nothing happens."

"How do I know that this is real?" I wondered. "When I was under the infulence of madness, I could feel pain."

"Trust me." Tabuu replied. "I hold no ill will towards you."

I closed my eyes and tried to create a barrier out of aura, however due to the exhaustion I couldn't even summon some basic aura. Under the watchful eye of Tabuu I fell asleep.

* * *

**Travis Touchdown is from No More Heroes.**


	18. Day 17: Asylum

Day 17: Asylum

When I woke up in the morning, there was all ready some food cooked. Tabuu glanced at me, rather surprised that I had woken up. "I expected you to be asleep for a few days." Tabuu said.

"Sorry, I don't have a few days." I looked at the pot that was hanging over some fire. "What are you cooking, it smells good!"

He removed the lid and I looked inside. He was making instant noodles. "It's the only thing I know how to cook." Tabuu laughed. "If you can call it that."

I just cringed. Something deep inside me suddenly made me not want to eat those. He handed me a bowl full of instant noodles and I began to eat it. The broth warmed me up a bit. After it was done he got up. "I've helped you enough now Nugai, probably more than I should have, they're watching me from a distance now." Tabuu said. "From now on I can only watch from a distance, so don't die. They are still looking for you and there is still a war going on."

"This war, I haven't really heard enough about it." I said. "What is it?"

Tabuu paused for several seconds. "It's another influence from your world shaping ours. I don't know the true story, but I figure people from your world have petty arguments over what console is better, and in this world we feel that influence and fight each other."

"So, that means that this world is put in a war because of playground arguments?" I questioned.

"It sounds stupid, doesn't it?" Tabuu laughed. "But people here die because of that stupid reason. The influence from your world has forced others to try and find out the truth. To be told, when you're with the Smashers, you are both in the most dangerous spot and the safest."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The Smashers are formed of the strongest in the Nintendo alliance. While the Smashers are trying to remain outside of the war, and only fighting back in self-defense the others have noticed that while they are badly hurting, and constantly bleeding money and resources, the Nintendo alliance has been safe. They have to take down the Nintendo alliance, or deal some strong blows to put them on equal grounds before they eliminate each other. Does this make sense?"

"A bit." I said. "I'm just still trying to wrap my head around how the smallest things in our world influences yours in big ways."

Tabuu nodded.

"I can't help but think that the best thing for both of our worlds would be to separate them so that our world no longer influenced yours."

"But upon doing that, our world will die. With out your world, there will be no way for ours to move forwards. I told you all ready that we will just be in an eternal cycle, repeating the same events, as we drift towards our unknown destruction. The link between the worlds is the most crucial part. Or so everyone believes." Tabuu said. "If there is anyone, who can break the worlds apart so that it could benefit both, I know it would be you."

"Why me?" I asked.

"Why not?" Tabuu replied. "Aren't you some legendary hero?"

"That was just a lie to butter me up and boost my self confidence, and give me a purpose." I replied.

Tabuu chuckled, amused by me denying it. "Someday you will know, who you really are." I glanced up at Tabuu. "There is some truth in the prophecy about a legendary hero who comes from another world."

"What do you mean?"

Tabuu just laughed. "I'll read you the prophecy."

Two worlds eternally entwined,

From one comes a hero,

His choice will bring forth prosperity,

But not unopposed

Those from both sides resent his decision,

But at his side, stand friends, who will fight to the end,

A fight that will bring the worlds' dependence to an end.

"Of course, depending on how you interpret it, it could also be referring to The Reaper." Tabuu said.

"But, the Reaper doesn't see the people with him as friends. He sees them as pawns."

Tabuu nodded. "Indeed."

"Also, weren't prophecy's supposed to rhyme?" Tabuu just glared at me. "Okay, fine."

"I'm sure if anyone can do anything, it will be you."

"Gee, thanks."

"I'm serious." Tabuu said.

"I don't know if I can find a way that it will benefit both worlds." I said.

"Now then Nugai, it's time for us to depart." Tabuu said walking away. "Odds are we will never meet again."

"How do you know that?" I wondered.

He suddenly transformed into a glowing blue person. "This is my true form." He said. "I will be going back to my dimension to observe what is about to transpire. Nugai, my last word of advice to you is, no matter what, trust the Smashers."

"Wait!" I shouted. "I have one more question about the caves of madness."

Tabuu glanced, and just laughed. "It pulls from your fears and the fears and thoughts of the collective subconscious from your world. What you saw in there might not reflect what you truly think. It could have just been something from the collective subconscious, and what binds our worlds together." Tabuu replied. "I hope that made sense."

I nodded. "A bit. Thank you for everything Tabuu."

And just like that Tabuu vanished.

I looked around in shock. Once again, I was alone.

I looked down at the pendant and began to follow where it pointed. After it led me into the Caves of Madness yesterday, I must have been a fool to trust it. But I didn't know what else to do. I walked through the forest.

_Wait, how long will it take for me to actually get to this Smash Mansion?_

I stopped and just sat down for several minutes. I figured that if others had gotten to the Smash Mansion before me, they would be sent out as a search party, well that was what I hoped at least.

Well, they weren't stupid. And I know they would be on the look out. Maybe even if I was lucky, I would get to meet up with some other Smashers while traveling.

I mean, I really don't want to start talking out loud to myself; someone might overhear and think I'm crazy.

I got up and began to walk again. Occasionally glancing down to look at the arrow.

There was one image that stayed in my mind from the caves of madness. The Government erasing my existence and torturing me. Tabuu said that what was shown was drawn from the collective subconscious of my world. In this instance, I figured that it was the fear of Government Conspiracies.

I wondered if they really did know about the two worlds being connected, and what they would do.

It was probably best not to linger on those thoughts for too long.

I saw a mountain and began to climb up it to try and get a vantage point. As I got higher, it was becoming harder to breath.

The air was thinner. I paused and took a break.

I seemed to have another flashback, this time to my grade 8 graduation. Boy, it was stupid. There was a little questionnaire that everyone filled out with various categories such as. "Person who will most likely climb Mt. Everest." "Person who will most likely become a millionaire." "Person who will most likely run a successful business." "Person who will most likely write a novel." I wasn't nominated for any of those.

I guess I never left much of an impression. I didn't really have any ambitions or future goals. There was nothing to work towards. I sort of just let each day pass me, and took on challenges as they came.

Feeling like I had adjusted to the thinner air, I began climbing. I probably wasn't supposed to do it like this. But I honestly didn't care right now. I was just getting really sick of seeing trees everywhere. And truthfully, I knew next to nothing about mountain climbing.

However, I soon came to a rock wall. With out the proper gear I couldn't go any higher.

I sighed and looked at the necklace, and followed it down a different side of the mountain.

After walking for several hours I sat down. At this point I was wishing that I would run into the Reaper. At least something would be worth mentioning besides the amount of times I thought all the trees looked exactly the same, and how much I missed all of the Smashers.

"I just wish something would happen!" I shouted.

I looked around. Absolutely nothing. Just trees, trees, and more trees.

I then heard the sound of deafening thunder. The sky was black, and it began to rain. I put the poncho over my self and continued to walk. I saw a cave, but the arrow didn't point to it. I closed my eyes. It was unoccupied and as far as I could tell perfectly safe.

I walked towards the cave, but the necklace was glowing with a big red X to try and stop me from continuing forwards. I decided to trust the necklace.

It led me to another cave

I closed my eyes, and used aura to make sure that there were no bears in there.

I fell asleep, hoping that what I had would be enough to keep me warm.

* * *

**Okay then, I can't write prophecies...**


	19. Day 18: Fear

Day 18: Fear

When I woke up, the rain had stopped. My stomach growled, and I probably smelled like BO. I couldn't wait to get to the Smash Mansion and have a nice shower.

I looked outside and began to walk. With any luck, I would be at the Smash Mansion by the end of the day.

Of course that was the attitude that I had when I started yesterday.

It would only be a matter of time before it was crushed once again.

I traveled for what seemed like hours. There was a few times where the arrow suddenly changed direction. The first I was a bit hesitant in following it, but I did. It directed me to a small cave. I went inside. Several seconds later I could hear soldiers crossing through the forest.

I was actually afraid. I couldn't make out how many there were, but if I had to guess, it would have probably been about thirty. If there was a confrontation, I would have probably died. It looked like the jewel was protecting me.

"The dogs smell something."

I froze, knowing that the something was me.

_Shit, shit, shit!_

"Release them, let's see where they go. Maybe they will liven up the mood."

I put my hand on my beam sword, ready to activate it at a moment's notice. Much to my surprise, they didn't find me.

"Oh, it looks like they found a family. Take the children away, let's have some fun with the woman."

There was screaming. The children didn't want to be separated from their mother, and the mother was trying to fight off her attackers. I stood there in the cave terrified. This was happening right in front of me. I couldn't stand for it. Almost instantly, my body began to move by itself.

_Curse you chronic hero syndrome_

I activated the beam sword and jumped out of the cave. I then turned and confronted them. "Don't hurt her!" I said, trying to summon forth the strongest voice I could. There were 25 soldiers. All of them had their hands on their weapons, ready to attack. "Oh, you and what army?" They taunted.

_Damn you chronic hero syndrome._

"I don't need an army to beat you." I replied. "I just see some sad and pathetic men in front of me. Come!"

They pointed their guns at me and began to open fire; automatically I activated a barrier in front of me. Somehow, it was able to stop every bullet. They stared in shock. "A Smasher, this is our lucky day!"

"They want the Smashers alive!"

"If we bring him in, we'll be seen as heroes."

The dogs came rushing for me. In an act of self-defense I cut through them, killing them. I was terrified. I hoped that nothing on my face showed that. They were silent.

I slashed my sword through a nearby tree. It fell towards them, they all scattered. One rushed towards me, I quickly beheaded him. One by one they all attacked me, trying to capture me. Being unable to rely on their guns. I was hoping that in the confusion the woman and children would escape. Unfortunately, one was making sure that the woman and her crying children wouldn't escape.

With twenty four dead bodies around me I faced the last person. He cocked his gun and aimed it at the children.

"How cowardly, taking hostages!"

"Surrender, or they die!" He heartlessly said.

_Shit, what should I do?_

In my mind I was trying to figure out how to escape from this and save the three of them. I was sure that the soldiers' screaming during their deaths had attracted more of their soldiers. I deactivated my beam sword and began to walk towards him.

"Go-" he was unfortunately cut off. A scythe had cut off his hand and then immediately stabbed him through the chest. Standing right behind him was the Reaper. "How cowardly." He said.

Once again I stood face to face with the Reaper. I reactivated my beam sword. "Get out of here now!" I shouted at them.

They agreed and began to run away. "So, tell me, is it just like old times?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at the plies of bodies at your feet, are they triggering any memories of the last time we came here?"

I looked down. A sharp pain jolted through my head, and the sight of what I had done made me throw up. "What the hell?" I said.

"We are the same, leaving destruction in our wake."

"It was in self defense!" I replied.

"Excuses." He laughed. "You liked it, didn't you?"

As I had expected some more soldiers came. We were both suddenly surrounded. "The Reaper!" one said. "And another!"

"Kill them both!" A voice said.

Once again I was thrown in battle, bullets flied everywhere, and I cut through several people. From what I was able to catch, there was a reason why the Reaper was feared. No one could even get close to him, except for me. We were both eventually cornered, both of us were back to back.

"I don't have any plans on dying here." He said.

"Neither do I." I replied.

"Good, don't get in my way."

"I was about to say that to you."

The two of us ran for them, and cut through them all. With the battle over we began to laugh, perhaps out of relief.

We were laughing like old friends… which I guess technically we were, but that's beside the point… it took me several seconds to realize that I was standing in a pile of bodies. I faced the Reaper once again.

"So, do you remember anything yet?" He asked.

"No, and I don't want to remember if you're saying I did this in the past!"

"So even knowing that this world is nothing more than a fabrication, you're still going to act like that?"

"Even if it is, it's real enough for me!" I replied. "I didn't want to kill these people."

"You were enjoying yourself." The Reaper calmly said. "Just admit it!"

"I was fighting in self defense!" I retorted back. "I'm here in the middle of a war zone because you attacked the Smash HQ!" I had my beam sword ready. I was ready to fight the Reaper and put an end to this.

"Don't attack me." He sighed. "If you had your memories back you would realize how pointless it would be, you were never able to beat me."

"Well, that's the old me!" I shouted. "I'm sure I'll be able to beat you here and now!"

I ran for the Reaper, however he just jumped into the sky. "I don't want to fight you." He said. "In fact, I want you to join me. After all, we were best friends!"

"People change!" I shouted. "You've changed!"

"No, you have changed." The Reaper replied. "You wouldn't have questioned this slaughter if you were still you."

"I am me!" I shouted. "I know who I am!"

"You know nothing!" The Reaper said. "Where you come from, your family, your friends, the school you went to, your aspirations and dreams, you know nothing about them. Why don't I tell you the first time you brought me to this world!"

"I brought you here?" I questioned. Part of me was telling myself to not believe a single word he said. The other part of me was actually terrified of what he was about to say.

"Yes, you brought me here, you introduced me to this world. You gave me the ability to go through the two worlds at will."

"I gave it to you?" None of this made any sense.

"The game was Gunstar Heroes, for the Sega Genesis. You rented it from Blockbuster Video. It was a weekend, during the school year. Possibly grade 3. You played a bit before I was dropped off to spend the night."

"Enough!" I shouted. "I've heard enough!"

"Why?" The Reaper asked. "Are you afraid that you may just be like me?"

"I only care about the present and the future. What happened in the past has happened, and there is no going back to change it!" I shouted. "I only care about surviving here and going back."

"I can send you back." The Reaper said. "Join me. Of course, you're going to have to work to get sent back."

"No." I shouted back. "If what you're saying is true, I created the monster known as the Reaper, and I can destroy it as well. I will fight to protect this world from your slaughter. Even if it isn't real, it is real enough for me!"

The Reaper stood there. Eventually a smile crossed his face. "I see." He said. "Well then, good luck. You've never been able to beat me before. Little brother. Although, perhaps you should know about the last time we met. We went to different high schools, and stopped talking to each other. November 18, 2006, in the frigid cold we met once again in the line in front of Best Buy. Well then, good-bye, little brother. If you're ever interested in joining me, just bring me each of the Smashers' heads. Even one will suffice, and I will give you the key back to the world you so desperately wanted to escape."

He disappeared. I reminded myself that we weren't related by blood. I wondered what we were like back then. Perhaps we were inseparable at one point. Everything seemed to be going by so fast. I just began to walk away, hoping that the next person who finds the mountain of corpses has a stronger stomach than I did. Or hope that some wild animals found themselves a nice meal.

It took a few minutes for me to realize that once again, I was completely alone in a forest. With no idea of where I was supposed to go. I pulled out the necklace. I was surprised that it hadn't fallen off during the fight. But also relived that I didn't have to go back.

As I walked through the forest, my mind was trying to sort through all the different things that just happened.

_Did I really give him this ability? Does he really know the way home?_

I punched a nearby tree in frustration. "Damn it."

Off in the distance I saw smoke and fire. Against my better judgment I ran to the source. It was the army camp that the soldiers who attacked us came from. Only now, everyone was dead, and it was on fire. Once again I threw up. I knew the Reaper had to have come here after he left me.

I followed the path that the stone gave me. I began to think about the soldiers who were on patrol duty and were just coming back. Would they have known that the Reaper was there and attacked? Because of that I was extra cautious. I hoped that I wouldn't run into anyone who was mad after the slaughter of their comrades and would shoot on sight.

I came to another camp. This one looking a lot more mobile. There were a bunch of people under a different flag. An X, a Triangle, a Circle, and a Square arranged in a cross like pattern.

I wouldn't have stayed very long; unfortunately I saw an all too familiar face. "So, tell us, where do your loyalties lie Snake?"

Indeed, Solid Snake was there. He was smoking a cigarette, and doing his best to remain calm. The person he was talking to was a man with blond hair that went to his shoulders.

"My loyalties lie with the Smashers, Raiden." Snake replied. "We remain neutral through out this pointless war. We don't want to be apart of it and only fight back to defend ourselves."

"Snake!" Raiden said.

"Sorry, but some of us remember what it was like before this pointless war. We aren't as young as you stupid kids." Snake growled.

Every head in the camp turned to Snake. "Well then Snake, you can't leave here alive." Raiden said.

"Like you rookies can do anything to me." Snake said.

Raiden was the first to react. He threw a punch at Snake, who quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back. Snake then pulled out a concealed knife. "Let me borrow this." Snake said.

"Snake!"

"Sorry, Raiden." Snake said, quickly knocking him unconscious. Several other guards rushed towards Snake. Snake quickly reacted and got the first guard that came close enough to him. He used him as a shield; however, the guards didn't care and opened fire. The guard screamed out in pain, before finally dieing. I reacted before they could attack again. I used my beam sword and cut through their guns. They all stared at me in shock. "What?"

"Knock them out!" Snake said.

I followed through by delivering several aura attacks. They were all quickly knocked unconscious. Snake then quickly fled. I followed. I was so glad that I had actually met up with another Smasher. What were the odds?

"I could have escaped my self." Snake growled.

"I'm sorry, I just thought I should have helped you."

"Whatever Nugai."

"That isn't my name." I sighed. This was getting old fast... "Well, let's just go to the Smash Mansion. We should be safe there."

Snake nodded and the two of us went through the forest.

"I'm rather surprised I met up with you." I said.

Snake just nodded. "Same, I hadn't seen any humans for the past few days, and I was getting worried. Then I saw that camp. They let me in since I used to be with them, before I joined the Smashers."

"I'm just glad I can have an actual conversation." I said, I began to think of something we could actually talk about. "Actually, I think there might be a mole in the Smashers?"

In hindsight, I realized how stupid this was.

"A mole?"

"Yeah, someone is relaying information to the Reaper."

"I know what a mole is!" Snake snapped. "But what makes you say this? It's a rather dangerous thing to say. I hope you have proof for an accusation like that."

"Well, how they knew that we were escaping earlier, or even earlier than our original time." I replied. "Or how they knew we had energy absorbing shields, or anything really."

"Observational skills." Snake replied. "The energy absorbing shield they could just see with their eyes. But how did they know we were leaving early? Perhaps they were just ready for us no matter what time we tried to escape."

"That's always a possibility." I said.

"Anyways, have you told anyone else?" Snake wondered.

"I'd have to meet up with someone else." I sighed.

Snake pulled out the knife and pointed it at me. "If I was the mole, I could have killed you right here and no one would have known the better." Snake said. "If I brought back your body to that camp, they could have disposed of your body in such a way no one would ever be able identify who you are. In the future, be more careful about who you talk to this sort of stuff with. Besides, if I had to bet on someone being the mole, I'd guess it would be you."

"Why me?" I asked.

"You are from the same world as him. The Manager's death. There are plenty of things. But for the time being, I'm going to trust you. Once they regain consciousness, they will come after us. So we better start covering a bunch of ground to try and get away."

I nodded. I looked at the necklace and began to run in the direction it was pointing. I was actually rather surprised at how fast Snake was, then again for a solider; I guess you did have to be in tiptop shape. He began to out run me, but then I added aura into my legs to help increase my speed.

"Oh, you're cheating now." Snake laughed, he hit a button on his watch and suddenly he began to get faster.

"What?" I said, trying to keep up with him.

"This suit helps stimulate muscles." Snake said. "It allows me to use them beyond the natural limits of a normal human."

"Isn't that rather dangerous?" I asked.

"In some extreme cases, your muscles can liquefy." Snake said. "However, I've been trained in such a way that at least this amount is possible. I should be able to keep up with your aura."

We ran for several minutes. Eventually I had become exhausted. I stopped running and Snake just laughed. "You've got quite the endurance."

"You've hardly broken a sweat." I said.

Snake nodded. "I doubt you've eaten. I'll go get us some food. Start a fire if you can."

I walked around and gathered several sticks. I then started a fire. Snake soon came back with some dead snakes. I just looked at them horrified.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Lunch." Snake said.

He took a stick and put it through the snake, and did the same with the other snake. He then put them on the fire to cook. When they were done, Snake handed me a snake on a stick. I looked at it rather disgusted. "It tastes like chicken." Snake reassured me.

"I'm a vegetarian." I lied.

"Well, your loss, if you want some leaves or something else, you've got to pick it."

With great disgust, I prayed that this would be one memory that was erased when I exited this world. "Well, how do you like my five star forest cuisine?"

"I hate your guts." I managed to say. I figured that was a nicest way of saying what I wanted to.

"What have you been eating before hand?" Snake wondered.

"Fish. Some nuts and raisins that was in the survival kit." I said.

"In that case you don't want to see the things that I had to eat during survival training." Snake said. "And here I thought that was going to be the only time I was going to eat a snake."

I just whimpered. I took out the bag of nearly done nuts and raisins and finished that off. After several minutes Snake got back up. He quickly began to climb a tree. My guess was that he was trying to get a vantage point. He was up there for several minutes, eventually he came back down. "I think I saw something off on the horizon where the necklace was pointing." Snake said.

I was so happy. "Yes!" I shouted. "I can finally get out of this stupid forest and see the rest of the Smashers!"

"It's still quite a distance though." Snake said.

"I don't care!" I replied.

"Okay." Snake said. "Can you run again?"

I nodded. And we were off once again. It hadn't even been two minutes of consecutive running before I suddenly stopped. Snake sighed. "Well, I guess that answers that question."

"We at least made some progress."

"Yes, that's true." Snake said.

We walked some more. Suddenly the necklace began to glow. I hadn't seen it do this before. "What now?"

"It glows when other Smashers are nearby." A voice said.

I looked up, walking towards us was Mario. "Welcome back." He said. "Come follow me, I'll lead you to the mansion."

We followed Mario. Walking for ten minutes. At one point I could have sworn I felt something pushing against me, as though to try and keep me out.

Eventaully we got to the Smash Mansion. It was a large white building. Going at least four floors up, and who knows how many down. There was even a detached building. It was bigger than any pictures of any mansion I had ever seen. "You're speechless, aren't you?" Mario asked.

"I've never seen anything like it." I said.

"It's rather excessive." Snake said. "How do you hide something like this in a forest?"

"Ask Master Hand." Mario said. "But, don't expect an answer, he didn't explain it to us."

Snake sighed. "All right then. I'll ask that Hand."

We walked in, and Mario instantly shouted out. "Nugai and Snake are now here!"

Several people rushed to see us. I didn't expect to be the first person there. Almost instantly I was tackled on the ground by Lucas. "Nugai!" He said. "You're safe!"

"Yeah." I replied. "Please get off of me."

Lucas smiled. However my face went white. I remembered what happened in the Caves of Madness.

"So, who all isn't here?" I asked.

He directed me to a wall, where there were several tiles. Each of them had a symbol, and then underneath that symbol a name. For instance, Lucas' symbol was that of the earth. While Pikachu's was a Pokeball.

It took me a few seconds to decipher what the symbols meant. Some were darkened, and others were lit up. The darkened ones I figured were for people who hadn't appeared in the mansion yet. "Lucario, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Luigi, ROB, Mewtwo, Roy, Pit, Sonic, and Toon Link." I said reading out loud all of the Smashers that weren't accounted for.

"Are we seriously some of the last people to find this place?" Snake grumbled. "Well, whatever. I need to go to sleep now."

Lucas looked up at me. "Nugai, you've got to see this mansion, it's huge!"

"Maybe in the morning." I said.

"But it's only the afternoon." Lucas said.

"You're right." I replied. "However, I need some food, and I want to retire to my bed as soon as possible."

"Retiring to your bed might be difficult." Master Hand said. "I haven't transferred everyone's rooms over."

"What?" I asked.

"You're room is giving me a bit of difficulty and I have been unable to transfer it over. It remains at the Smash HQ."

"What, why?" I asked.

"Because there seems to be an anomaly with your room." Master Hand said.

_An anomaly?_

"Like what?" I asked.

"It seems to be partly there, but partly in another dimension." Master Hand replied.

I was confused. That didn't make any sense to me.

"The space in the room is just so weird. It's not any other room in the Smash HQ. Just yours."

"I'll worry about it after a meal then." I said.

I was directed to the kitchen where some food remained. I took it and ate it. With my energy restored, I got up. Master Hand floated over to me. "I tried some more, but your room is still in the Smash HQ. Is there something in your room that could be causing it?"

"I don't know." I replied.

"Crazy Hand and I will continue to work on it." Master Hand said. "But, I can't promise any results. If worse comes to worse, you can sleep on one of the many couches in the Smash Mansion. I hope this won't cause any problems?"

"Well, after those days out in the woods, I was looking forwards to my own bed, and I also need a shower." I sighed.

"Well, you can come to my room." Lucas said. I really didn't want to, and Master Hand seemed to suggest my hesitation.

"It's either that or the change rooms to the pool for the shower." Master Hand said.

"I'll take Lucas' shower then." I said.

Lucas directed me to his room. I decided to just make this as quick as possible, so I didn't look in, I just entered into the washroom. It looked pretty much like every other washroom back at the Smash HQ.

When I was done, I saw that my clothes were now miraculously clean. (Lucas said it was a Wireframe that cleaned them). I changed into them and walked out of Lucas' room.

Master Hand floated next to me. "I'm sad to say that our continued efforts have ended in failure." He sighed.

"That's okay." I said. "If you could just get another room from the Smash HQ into the Smash Mansion for me as a replacement, I won't mind."

Master Hand snapped his fingers. "It's done." He said. He directed me to a room. On the door was the name Nugai. I went in, and it was plain. It was just a single bed in the middle of the room. There were white sheets on the bed. There was also an empty dresser. There were no photo's hung up around the room. "It's a start." I said.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Master Hand asked.

"Can I have a pen and some lined paper?" I wondered.

Master Hand snapped his fingers and the objects appeared right in front of me. "Is there any place where I can have some peace and quiet?" I wondered.

"Yes." Master Hand said. "Please follow me."

I did so, and eventually we got into a giant library. This single room appeared to be bigger than the entire mansion itself. "What the?" I said.

"If it's because of the size, I altered reality so that this giant library could fit in the Mansion." Master Hand said. "I'm sure you will find some peace and quiet in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Back when we used this mansion constantly during the Melee days, hardly any Smasher came in here to read." Master Hand said. "But you can find a work desk towards the back."

Master Hand left me and I walked through the giant library, eventually finding a desk. I sat down at a chair and began to write:

The following is all true, for those who find these documents thank you for taking your time to read through them. I reiterate that the following is all true and written down from my memory exactly as I remembered it. All of those days that I spent in that mysterious place, and the friends I made. I will not forget you, ever. Now let us begin:

* * *

I looked up; I had finished recounting what had got me here to this point and looked around the library. From a nearby window it had gotten dark out. I traveled around the library a bit more and then found a rather nice looking couch. I fell on it.

It was really comfortable.

I then drifted to sleep.

* * *

**I have quite a bit to say. **

**It was sort of depressing walking around the Blockbuster Video while it was having its bankruptcy sale, remembering that the games used to be in one place, but now moved to another. Remembering all the games that I used to rent from there. Remembering the Pokemon Snap printout display... **

**Wii launch... Funny story, there is a reason why this date is important to the story. In real life, the person the Reaper was based off of was actually at the local Best Buy, I didn't find out that he was in the Best Buy line until a couple months later, when we met up once again through the wonders of the Internet and facebook, and he asked when I got the Wii. I just responded the first day. He then asked where and I said EB Games. I asked him if he got one, and he said yes. And he got it at Best Buy.**

**I broke out laughing.  
**

**He stayed outside the store overnight, and when I got there at seven in the morning, the line was all ready way too long... so yeah. Although he said if he know that I was there he would have let me in the line, it would have pissed off the 55th person in the line... (The number of Wii Units) but it would have been so totally worth it after he laughed in our faces and gloated that he was the 55th person in line... **

**Imagine, if I just took some advice from my father asking if they knew how many units there were and if I was wasting my time I could have saved myself going to 3 other stores looking for a Wii unit on Launch. **

**ToysRus only had 15 or 20, but it didn't matter since the line was done.**

**The first EB games I went to had 10, and I was 12th in line.**

**The second EB games had... No idea, and I didn't care since I was 6th in line and got a unit.  
**

**So, while Nugai remembers what transpired on launch, it is a bit different than my experiences.  
**


	20. Day 19: Tragedy

Day 19: Tragedy

When I woke up, it took me a few seconds to remember why I was in a library. I looked around, however I couldn't see a washroom. Quickly I began to run around the library and eventually found a small public washroom tucked away in the corner.

After doing my business I got out and looked at the shelves and shelves of books.

"I wonder if there are any books on aura training." I said to no one in particular. Nearby there was a black screen, it suddenly began to flash. I walked over and looked at the screen. There was now a map of the library, with a whole section dedicated to aura circled. I printed it off at a nearby printer and took the page.

I paused for moment, wondering how awfully convenient it was. I then began to go towards the aura section.

I looked through it. Eventually finding a book called "_Aura training for dummies._" I opened it up. And soon I found all of the exercises that Mewtwo had me do. I did my best to hold in any anger, but unfortunately my Aura cut right through the book.

_I seriously hate you Mewtwo._

I looked at some of the other books for aura training. It listed some complex stuff, and also some rather clichéd stuff such as meditating underneath a waterfall. I groaned. Although I was glad that Mewtwo didn't make me do that. Although if he was still training me, I'm sure he would have.

I looked around the library, eventually finding a section on super attacks. I read through a few paragraphs from a book stating how super attacks had to be flashy, over the top, and powerful. I just sighed and put the book away.

This whole library was devoted on fighting. I couldn't honestly believe that there were actually millions of books on aura fighting alone in the library.

I picked up another book. This one was titled "_History of Aura._"

It was a bloody history. There used to be hundreds of warriors capable of using aura, however, by using aura they were able to use strength beyond that of a normal person. Much like many other things that people don't understand, those who used Aura were feared, they were hunted down and purged for the fear of an insurrection upon a kingdom. Because of that, that those who used Aura in this age were rare. Pretty much being exclusive to the Aura Pokemon, Lucario and Riolu. With very few people to train the next generation, Aura would most likely die out. There would still be the odd human that had it, but with out the proper training, they would only most likely just note that they would have more energy than others, and maybe enhanced senses.

I eventually heard an announcement. "Attention all Smashers, please meet up in the kitchen." Master Hand's voice boomed.

I sighed and walked through library and back into the mansion. When I got to the kitchen everyone glared at me. "That's everyone who has found the mansion now." Master Hand sighed. "As you all know, there are still some who are missing."

_Did anyone else show up after me yesterday?_

"We're going to form search parties." Master Hand said. "We all must look for those Smashers who haven't come back to the Smash Mansion yet."

"But how can we find them?" Lucas asked.

"It's simple." Master Hand replied. "Once again, the necklaces will guide you." Everyone glanced down at the necklace. "Its power is just to point you in the direction you want to go. For instance, if you want to find something that you lost it will point you to where it is. All you have to do is think about one of the lost Smashers, and the arrow will point you to where they are. It will find them without fail."

"How does that work?" I asked. "How can it find anything with out fail?"

"Well, it's because of the magic involved." Master Hand said. "There are two things at work. The first is that since it's only purpose, it's much stronger at doing it. The second reason is you must also know what you're looking for. Say if you were looking for a long lost friend, it would point to that friend. However, if you were looking for something vague, like say a mountain, it might just point you to the nearest mountain."

I nodded. "Basically, Magic works on a set of instructions." Zelda said. "Because the instruction for the flame inside the necklace isn't complex it can do its job well. However, it can only search for what you want it to search for."

I looked at the necklace.

_Then, did I really want to be led into the Caves of Madness?_

We split up into groups of two. Lucas was with me. And then we walked out of the Smash Mansion. "All right, there is a protective ward." Master Hand explained. "This ward will only allow people who have the Smash Pendant to cross through it. Don't lose the necklace!"

Everyone nodded.

We all dispersed, each of us following the arrows to where we hoped the Smashers were safe.

"So, who are we looking for?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know." I replied. "I've just been thinking about which Smasher would need to be found first. So, it's probably just pointing to the one Smasher who is the most hungry or something."

Lucas nodded.

It was strange; none of the other Smashers had gone this way. Surely there must have been some overlap between who we were looking for with the 11 missing Smashers. "Lucario, Fox, Falco, Wolf, Luigi, ROB, Mewtwo, Roy, Pit, Sonic, or Toon Link." I said. "Who do you think we will find?"

"I don't know." Lucas replied. "But, Nugai, about your instruction, for which Smasher needs to be found first, wouldn't that send us to the one who is in the most danger?"

Come to think of it my instruction was pretty bad. "You're right." I said. "Well, let's hurry then."

We ran through the forest, what actually seemed frightening was that the person we were looking for was quite far away from the Smash Mansion. Eventually, Lucas stopped. "Nugai, I think we should go back." he said. I looked at him rather confused. "I think we should get some more Smashers!"

I knew why Lucas was saying this. But, I didn't want to abandon that Smasher who needed help. "Then, you should go back and get them." I said. "I won't abandon anyone."

Lucas nodded and ran back to the mansion. I just followed the arrow. Constantly dodging each of the branches that were just suddenly in front of me. There were a few branches that I cut through with my beam sword, to avoid.

Running through the forest, something seemed nostalgic about it.

* * *

I was on the ground, crawling through some tall grass. Beside me was the Reaper. We were doing our best to stay hidden. "Do you think anyone will find us?"

"I hope not." He said.

We were at a summer camp, playing some game outside. Some people rushed past the grass that we were in, not paying attention. I just let off a heavy sigh. "I wish we were back home, we could be playing in the games."

The Reaper just laughed.

"I found two of them!" A voice shouted. We looked behind us and saw someone looming over us. The two of us got up and bolted away, through the forest, constantly dodging each of the branches. We were eventually caught, but it was fun.

"Why did you stay behind?" I asked. "You could have at least gotten away. You're faster than me, right?"

"Yeah." The Reaper said, "But I didn't want to leave you behind." He laughed.

* * *

So much had changed. So much was different. Part of me wished to stop remembering things about him. If I did, perhaps it would be easier to fight against him. He would just be another nameless and faceless opponent.

But the more I remembered about the Reaper, the more I remembered about myself. Small, weak, and shy. Picked on constantly by others, the Reaper was one of my few friends. How much I hated school, how I thought it was pointless, and that the teachers were just giving out arbitrary numbers, and constantly asking pointless questions.

I was distracted and tripped over a tree root, landing right on my face. It hurt. I got up, however, pain coursed through my hand. I must have hurt it when I fell.

I decided to take it slower, I looked around, and down at the Smash Pendent. It didn't seem like I was any closer to the Smasher.

I closed my eyes and tried to use Aura to see as far as possible, however, it was no use. I was too distracted by the pain in my hand.

I looked around. There was no one to be seen anywhere, and I was practically a sitting duck. I looked down at the Smash Pendant once again, and it still pointed somewhere. I began to fear for the other Smasher, if he was in a worse condition than I was.

I felt something warm from my side. I glanced down and noticed that my shirt had been torn, and that there was a cut on my side. I placed my hand against it. It wasn't deep.

_Well, I better find that Smasher._

I hoped that Lucas had gotten back to the Smash Mansion by now and called together any Smashers he could find, and was heading this way. My mind briefly thought about what they would say. "_Geeze, Nugai, The Reaper would just need to leave you alone in an enclosed room and you would manage to kill yourself._" I could hear someone taunting.

I sat down on the ground and leaned against a tree. I placed my hand against my wound, and tried to apply some aura to it. Much to my surprise it began to heal. "What the?" I said out loud. I didn't expect that to happen. I pulled out one of the books I had 'borrowed' from the library, "_Uses for Aura in battle! Using the mystical force to guide yourself to a sure fire victory._" I flipped to a page and saw that indeed, Aura could be used to help heal wounds. It sped up the growth progress of cells. Of course, it warned about using it in excess would cause you to drastically reduce your lifespan.

Not that it actually mattered to me right now.

After several minutes of resting I got back up. I tried using Aura to heal my hand, but it just dulled the pain. At least now I could concentrate on using aura to see.

I walked forwards. I don't know for how long, but eventually, I saw a Smasher. It was Lucario. "Lucario!" I said.

Lucario looked up at me. He was leaning against a tree. He looked like he had seen better days. His fur was falling out, and he appeared to have a few cuts across his body. "Nugai. You're safe."

"Yeah." I said. "Let's get back to the Smash Mansion right now."

Lucario stood up; he then tried to walk towards me. He began to limp forwards. "Lucario, what happened?" I asked.

"I twisted my ankle." Lucario replied.

I quickly rushed over to beside Lucario and helped him walk forwards. It was something beyond just twisting his ankle. I just assumed that he had a few close calls with some bears or something. Then again, if I was actually paying attention, I would have been questioning how a steel type pokemon was bleeding and what could have cut him.

"Thank you." Lucario said.

"No problem." I said. "We're in danger, so we should probably keep moving." Lucario glanced at me, trying to figure out how I knew that. "Can you keep a watch out, using your aura?"

"Yes, of course." He said.

We walked forwards slowly.

_This is too slow, we have to move faster!_

"Lucario, I'm going to try and lift you." I said. I grabbed him, and tried to carry him. My hand however burst into pain. And besides that, Lucario was actually really heavy. I don't think I even got two steps before I had to put him down. "How much do you weigh?" I asked.

Lucario just looked at me rather confused. "Well, 115 lbs according to Dr. Mario when he weighed me for my profile. He said I'm four pounds lighter than the average Lucario though."

"What I'd do for a Pokeball right now." I muttered. Another memory began to come back to me.

* * *

"So, you know how we couldn't enter the Gameboy screens?" I asked.

"Yeah?" The Reaper replied.

"Well, I found a way to enter into Pokemon Blue!" I said, I was rather happy with myself, as though this was some giant breakthrough.

"Oh?" The Reaper said rather interested. "How?"

"Pokemon Stadium." I replied. "There's this place called Gameboy Tower. And you can play Pokemon Blue, Red, or Yellow in it!"

"That's amusing." He said.

"This weekend, I'm going to reset the game, and play it all over again. This time doing it right."

"Doing it right?" He questioned.

"No MissingNo." I said. "I don't even want to think about what that thing would look like in real life."

He laughed. "Yeah, it might be pretty scary. Although knowing you, you might be scared of those rocket members with the whips."

"I won't be." I replied.

"Yes you will. You're too kind, you'll begin crying if you see them actually abusing animals."

* * *

I fell on the ground. "Nugai, are you okay?"

I looked up; I was suddenly sweating like crazy. I placed my hand on my forehead. I also had a fever. "We should seek shelter. There are some caves nearby." Lucario said.

"No," I said. "We need to keep moving. We're in danger." Although, I also wanted to stop and think over what the Reaper said in my memory. I was too kind? Then was I really killing people with him back then? There was too many questions I had.

"Very well then." Lucario said.

We kept walking forwards. However suddenly a violent gust of wind rushed towards us. It began to cut through the trees, quickly; Lucario brought us both to the ground to avoid the attack. Someone began to clap; standing quite a distance from us was the Reaper. He once again swung his scythe, this time a tornado rushed towards us. All of the trees that were blocking the way were suddenly reduced to saw dust. I could feel us being dragged towards the tornado, however Lucario threw an Aura Sphere. The explosion was somehow enough to destroy the tornado.

"I'm impressed, Nugai, you found yourself another great Pokemon." The Reaper said.

I did my best to not lose myself in another memory. I could briefly see myself surrounded by several Pokemon, and fighting the champion.

"It's such a shame that are you're both going to die here."

_It's such a shame you can't say less clichéd lines._

"We won't die!" I said.

The Reaper just laughed. "How amusing." He said looking at both of us. "Well, Nugai, this is your last chance, are you going to surrender, and join me?"

"No!" I replied.

The Reaper was saddened. "In that case, I guess I'll have to kill you, but don't worry, I'll revive you using that corpse." He held out his scythe and rushed for both of us. Lucario however created a bone out of aura. The bone hit the scythe, within a few seconds the scythe cut through the aura. Lucario just jumped back.

"He can dispel aura." Lucario said frustrated.

"What?" I asked.

"You can counter aura in several ways." Lucario said. "This is bad. We have to get out of here."

"You can't get away though." The Reaper said. "You're holding Nugai back, aren't you Lucario. Your injury will get you both killed."

The Reaper rushed towards us, Lucario threw an aura sphere, when the Reaper tried to cut through it, the aura sphere exploded, creating a smokescreen. Lucario and I took this opportunity to flee into a nearby cave. Lucario was actually carrying me and using extreme speed. During all this he also unleashed an aura sphere to the celing of the cave to cause it to collapse and trap us inside, away from the Reaper. I figured that he used some aura to dull the pain, along with the adrenaline going through his body that we were able to get away. When we got pretty deep into it we stopped and rested.

"He can cut through Aura?" I asked.

"Yes." Lucario replied. "If you use aura, but with an opposite nature, you can cut through aura."

"Opposite nature?" I asked.

"Let's say my aura is aggressive. It gets stronger the more angry I am. As long as he is calm, he can cut through that aura." Lucario explained. "But the reverse is also true, my aggressive aura can also cut through his calm aura. Essentially, the two cancel each other out and you have to keep using aura, the one who stops supplying the aura first loses."

"And is there a way to figure out what type of aura you have?" I wondered.

"There are tests." Lucario said.

"Can aura be more than one nature?" I wondered. "Can you change the aura's nature mid battle?"

Lucario just closed his eyes. "This is not the time for those questions."

He was right.

A faint blue aura appeared around him. He placed his hand on the ground and a wave of aura went through the caves. "The Reaper hasn't found us yet, and it appears that these caves go quite a distance. There might be another exit. Should we go check?"

I closed my eyes, and thought about it. "If there is another exit, we might be able to avoid the Reaper. Let's try it."

We got up and began to walk deeper into the cave. I was briefly reminded about the Caves of Madness. How I had seen Lucario in there, how he had been rabid and was mauling some of the corpses.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," I lied.

"Your aura says that you're afraid." Lucario said.

"A bit, I guess." I said. "I don't know if we're going to live through this." I guess all I could hope for was that the rest of the Smashers were on their way, and ready to fight the Reaper. If it was all of us against him, we might stand a chance. "It's also how the Reaper can use aura."

"I'm not sure that its aura." Lucario said.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"At least I don't think he's a natural aura user like us." Lucario said. "When he cut through my aura, I couldn't sense him using any aura. I think it was that weapon, it either draws out his aura, or it absorbed my aura to make it look like it was cutting through my aura."

I nodded. "So, if it absorbs aura, then all aura attacks are useless against it."

"No." Lucario said. "There may be a few that will be able to do something to that weapon."

"Such as what?" I wondered.

Lucario however never answered that question. We walked until the cave suddenly got narrower, so we had to go through it one at a time, and could no longer support each other. I thought about using my beam sword to widen the cave, however Lucario stopped me. "If the Reaper is still following us, this might slow him down for a few minutes, or he might not go through this way."

I nodded. "Okay then." I said.

We continued onwards, until we got to an underground lake. We both stopped and looked at he lake. The water was coming from somewhere, we found a river and decided to follow it upstream.

We soon found the exit to the cave. It was just a little white light at the end of a tunnel, but it was an exit. I looked down at the Smash Pendant. It didn't seem to be pointing anywhere. Then again, I hadn't given it any instructions recently.

"For right now we're safe." I said, sitting down on a rock.

Lucario nodded. "Yes."

I was glad that we escaped the Reaper. I was slightly afraid of what was going to happen if he found us again. We both took this moment to recover and catch our breaths. I lost myself in another memory.

* * *

I had walked out into some tall grass.

Out of nowhere an old man appeared to stop me. "Stop, don't you know it's dangerous to enter tall grass without a pokémon."

He brought me into his lab where there were three pokeballs, and some other person was waiting. They talked like they had known me for their whole lives. Eventually I took a pokémon. I decided on Charmander.

The other person chose Squirtle. We had a battle and I was able to win. We then walked out of the lab and into the world. Our journey began.

I fought through the eight gyms, took down team rocket and became the champion. Soon, I had caught all that I could get in blue. I stayed in there, and constantly went in, until Gold and Silver came out, followed by pokémon stadium 2.

Our adventures continued. Somehow I was even able to transfer all of my pokémon from blue to gold with next to no effort. I guess it was a perk of being able to travel through the games. It was fun, to say the least. Even when I fought against Red, my team stood beside me. We constantly fought against the Elite Four and Red. We were the greatest combination around.

And then one day I stopped entering into the games.

* * *

I began to cry. Lucario was actually rather shocked. "Why are you crying?" He asked.

"I need to find my friends." I replied.

"Your friends?" Lucario said.

"My pokémon, I was once a Pokemon trainer, traveling across the countryside." I said. "I fought in the Kanto and Johto regions."

One day, I did want to go back, but I couldn't. Pokemon Gold suffered from a problem with the save, which was beyond the player's control. In the game there was an internal clock, however since this wasn't a recent game that read the clock off of the system, it had a battery inside the cartridge to keep track of time. Unfortunately, when that battery died, so did the game. Everything was erased.

_Were they afraid? Were they alone?_

I didn't want to think about it. How their entire world was erased in front of them. How they were probably deleted, did they forget about me? Did they resent me? I wanted to go back and change the past.

"We have to keep moving." I said.

Lucario used his aura to see if the coast was clear. After several moments he motioned for me to follow and we stepped out into daylight.

The sun was blinding. It took a few moments for my eyes to readjust. I looked down at the Smash pendant and I gave it my next command. "Show us the quickest path to the Smash Mansion."

The arrow appeared and we began to follow it. In hindsight, my command really should have been, "Show us the _safest_ path to the Smash Mansion." As we were walking I heard something above us. The Reaper was jumping through the trees. Quickly we leaned against a tree, however he had seen us, he landed in front of us and had his scythe ready to strike.

"Crap." I muttered.

The Reaper had a twisted smile across his face. "I thought I lost you two." He said. "Now, prepare to die!"

I looked at Lucario. "Do you think we can get away again?" I asked.

"Not unscratched. My aura ball and smoke bomb trick won't work twice." Lucario said.

I looked at The Reaper. "There has to be away for both of us to get out of here safely."

"You're too much of an idealist." Lucario said. "That won't happen."

I cringed. "You don't know that."

Lucario just stared at the Reaper. "I know what will really happen here."

"You will both die." The Reaper said.

I froze. He rushed towards us, however Lucario created a barrier made out of Aura to protect us. The Reaper just cut through it as though it was paper.

I didn't know what happened. All of a sudden my body moved by itself. I rushed for the Reaper, ducking underneath his scythe, and tackling him to the ground. When I realized what happened, I stopped, that was enough for him to knock me off.

The Reaper quickly got back up and swung his scythe towards me. I tried to jump back, however the scythe nicked me, cutting my right arm. That small cut somehow made my entire arm go numb.

Lucario quickly ran close to the Reaper and began to deliver rapid bursts of aura directly to his chest.

The Reaper stepped back. Lucario finished with an uppercut directly to the Reaper's jaw. The Reaper's head shot back. He tried to walk away, however he was disoriented.

Something told me now was the time to strike. I ran for the Reaper, this time not hesitating. I threw several punches; they hit his abdomen, and winded him. The Reaper fell to his knees.

I wanted to run away. However the Lucario grabbed my wrist. "Don't flee." He said. "He will just catch up once he recovers."

It took several seconds for the Reaper to stand back up. He looked at me rather frustrated. "Sorry, but you're only human." I said. "You can still die."

The Reaper rushed towards me, however he appeared to be unable to see straight as when he swung his scythe, he missed me by a few feet.

I quickly got in close to the Reaper and delivered several roundhouse kicks. I landed a clean hit on his head, and he once again fell down.

It took him much longer to get up off of the ground. Lucario threw an aura sphere, and it hit him, sending him flying several feet back.

"It's over, Reaper." I said.

"Nugai, it will never be over." The Reaper said. "I won't die here!"

He struggled to get back up. Lucario threw another aura sphere towards him, however The Reaper just cut through the aura sphere with his scythe. He began to walk forwards, however he used his scythe as though it was a walking staff. In this case, he was clearly putting the majority of his weight on the staff. Was it a trap, or was he really exhausted? There was only one way to find out.

I ran for the Reaper and threw another punch, this time hitting him directly on the nose. I could feel something snap. I probably broke his nose with that punch. Blood began to flow down his face, and his nose was now twisted.

Despite this the Reaper stood strong. "You no longer hit like a girl." He said. "You were always the pacifist."

"Shut up!" I snapped. I had heard enough. "Don't talk like you know me anymore."

The Reaper just let out a weak laugh. "You were always a coward. You know, despite calling you my brother, I never liked you."

"I don't care." I said, throwing a kick right into his side. I figured I must have broken a few ribs with that one.

"You were always weak, I was better than you in every single way, and you always held me back! Nobody liked you."

"So what?" I asked. "That was the past, this is now!"

"You were arrogant, you were-" I heard enough and decided to just kick him in the nuts. He went silent; I could even tell Lucario was cringing in pain. The Reaper fell to the ground. Suddenly he exploded in a puff of smoke. Lucario's eyes widened in horror.

"It was a clone!"

"A clone?" I said.

"Well, something, it was a duplicate that was capable of acting indpendntly." Lucario replied.

As the smoke cleared, what lied there was a wire frame that now had several dents into it. Before I could get a closer look a voice shouted out. "It was a modified Assist Trophy."

Both Lucario and I turned to the source of the voice.

Coming out from behind some trees was the Reaper. "I had stolen a bunch when I went into the Smash HQ. I also had figured out how they worked and that in reality they were just wire frames that were uploaded with some data to make them fight like they were the person that they were imitating. But, they really can't compare to the real deal."

Both Lucario and I had wasted so much energy on the clone, and pointlessly attacking it. Rage began to well up inside of me and I rushed directly for the Reaper. This was a really bad idea. The next moment I was tossed aside. There was no comparison between that assist trophy and the real deal.

The Reaper ran for me, however Lucario jumped in front of him, he sent a burst of aura at the Reaper, and sent him flying back at least a hundred meters. However it would only be a few seconds before he recovered and rushed at us again. "This is your last lesson." Lucario said. "In a fight with more than two opponents, keep calm and you will be at an advantage, since you will be able to see everyone's position with aura."

I nodded. I closed my eyes and could see the Reaper rushing through the trees towards us. He brought down his scythe and the two of us dodged out of the way.

"Nugai, Aura is an extremely powerful weapon." Lucario said. "It could even make a simple spoon sharper than a sword. I trust that I have made the correct choice in training you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I glanced at Lucario, and for some reason it seemed like he was smiling.

The Reaper rushed towards me with his scythe ready, Lucario however used extreme speed to get in front of him and send another attack to send him flying back.

"Nugai," Lucario said, all I could see was his back. "Goodbye."

"What?"

Lucario sent a burst of aura that knocked me away. "Run!"

But as soon as I recovered and got up off of the ground I stood frozen in place. I looked at Lucario. "You're going to sacrifice yourself?"

_No, this can't be happening in front of me! Not now! Not again!_

Lucario ripped off the necklace. "Go," he ordered tossing it to me. It bounced in my hands several times until I finally caught it. "I'll hold him off for three minutes; I can't guarantee any more time than that!"

"Lucario!" I muttered.

"Go, he can't find the Smash Mansion!" Lucario said.

The Reaper just laughed. "So, your hideout is somewhere around here." He said getting back towards us. "I'll find it, and then I'll kill them all!"

"But what about you Lucario?" I asked.

Lucario just laughed. "Don't worry about me." He said. His body was beginning to glow with aura. "Just worry about finding a way back to your world."

I looked at Lucario afraid. Quickly I ran away. I didn't want to run. "You're not going to escape you coward!" The Reaper shouted.

_Coward? Yeah, I guess I was a rather big coward._

"I won't let you follow him!" Lucario shouted. There was a sudden crack, like a firecracker. But I didn't look back.

I continued running, until eventually I felt a sudden wave of energy against my back. I was forced down to the ground, and swore loudly. When I got back up I paused and turned back, off in the distance I could see smoke. Everything was strangely calm, there was no wind blowing through the trees. In the back of my head, I knew that Lucario had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect me from the Reaper.

"Lucario, I'm sorry." I cried. "I'm so sorry, you didn't have to do that for me! You should of let me die at his hands!"

I began to punch a nearby tree in frustration, until my knuckles were bleeding. "Damn it! Not again! Not again!"

I eventually stopped, and just collapsed.

_Not again?_

I looked up at the sky. I tried to think, who, else died? It felt like a memory was close to surfacing, but it didn't come.

After lying on the ground for several minutes I got back up and walked to the Smash Mansion.

All of the Smashers had all ready heard the news. I didn't know how, but soon Mewtwo brought me to the wall covered with the emblems. I saw a pokeball emblem that used to be coloured was now shaded black. "Lucario is dead." Mewtwo said. "What happened?"

"He fought the Reaper." I said

Mewtwo nodded. He had expected this moment. "I see. I'm sure he didn't go down with out a fight. The Reaper won't be walking away unscratched from that one."

I held out Lucario's necklace. "And what do we do with this?" I asked.

"Why did he give it to you?"

"He didn't want the Reaper to find the Smash Mansion." I replied.

He nodded. "He made the smart choice."

"I should have stayed and fought with him! Maybe together we could have taken down the Reaper!"

"Those are rather bold words." Mewtwo said. "Lucario's last attack was a giant explosion of aura. If you were there, he wouldn't have been able to use it."

I sat down, quite shaken. I had seen far too much death here. The manager, those soldiers that I killed myself, and now Lucario. I wondered, if Lucario knew the Reaper and my previous relationship, would he of made the same choice?

"Do you have funerals here?" I asked.

"Yes." Mewtwo replied. "We can honour our fallen comrades sacrifice."

A search party was made, it took a while for them to come back. With every minute that added up, I kept thinking that perhaps, Lucario survived even though there was countless proof pointing against it, even though it was next to impossible. I still held onto a small hope that someway, somehow, Lucario survived.

They came back confirming that not even Lucario's body survived, and odds were neither did the Reaper. They said that the area was now just a smoking crater.

"We would have been back faster, if Sonic didn't run off." Mario said.

I glanced up, in my distress and morning, I didn't even notice that they had found several more Smashers. Sonic's head emblem was now illuminated. And for whatever reason I also noticed that the quils in the head logo were much smaller than his actual quils.

"Hey, I had to make sure that the Reaper didn't flee anywhere in the surrounding forest." Sonic said. "We didn't want to be ambushed or anything, right?"

Soon everyone departed from the front hall.

Around the mansion, there was only silence.

But, at least the Reaper was gone. Finally, he was defeated. Lucario's explosion of aura had made sure of that.

As I walked around the mansion, I heard someone crying. It was in the mens washroom. There was some water running, perhaps to hide the sobs, but it wasn't helping. I stood outside, until Lucas came out. His eyes were red. "Nugai." He said. I could tell that I was the last person he wanted to talk to.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I said. "It might make you feel better."

Lucas nodded. We went into the library. I used some aura to check if anyone was around, but it was empty. We found a room that was intended for reading, and closed the door.

"It's my fault too." Lucas said. "I took too long getting everyone together, and then we couldn't find you, because I used the same command that you did, in finding the Smasher who was in the most danger, it didn't point anywhere."

I flinched. We were perfectly safe in the cave. "Damn it."

"I thought you were killed, but then when I changed the command to you it pointed into the woods, but then, there was that explosion, and someone said that an emblem had gone black."

I didn't know what to say.

"And, had I stayed, Lucario might have lived." Lucas cried.

"It wouldn't have been any different." I said. "The Reaper weakened us with a clone, and Lucario sacrificed himself of his own free will. And had you come back with some of the other Smashers, there might of been more casualties."

Lucas didn't take my blunt answer. He punched me, rather weakly on the arm. I wondered if this was what the fake reaper meant by saying that I punched like a girl. Something suddenly popped into my head. "Lucas, let's go see Master Hand, there is something I want to ask him."

We walked to Master Hand's office in the mansion. I knocked on the door and suddenly the doors opened. "Come in." Master Hand said.

We walked into the room. Master Hand was just floating behind a desk. "Why have you come here?"

"I wanted to ask a question." I said.

Master Hand looked at me. "A question?" He said.

"Yes. It's about the assist trophies. How do they work?" I said.

Master Hand was actually shocked by this question. I'm sure to him it seemed like an incredibly random question. "Well, didn't you watch our training videos?" He asked.

I just stared blankly at him. "You have training videos?"

Master Hand let out a sigh, "Oh, right, I remember, Mewtwo got you into the Smashers and did an accelerated program."

I just nodded.

"Long story short, essentially, the brain is uploaded to a computer, although to keep them as effective items, we remove all but their ability to attack. This includes their memories."

_What? But that assist trophy of the Reaper seemed like it had memories._

"Wait, why do you remove their memories?" I asked.

"I was trying to keep this short." Master Hand sighed. "Well, it's to help stop them from being distracted, or from becoming self aware. This also helps keep the batteries inside them running for more than a second."

"Stop, you're going way to fast for me!" I said.

"The removal of memories are just a precaution to help avoid them becoming self aware, and their attacks get slower, think of it as a computer, with the memories, they had more processes running. The batteries inside of them would quickly run out within a second."

Something didn't add up that assist trophy duplicate of the Reaper was around for a lot longer than just a few seconds

"Okay." I said. "I think I get that. Thank you Master Hand, that answers some of my questions."

"Why did you ask?" he wondered.

"The Reaper had an assist trophy duplicate of himself." I replied.

"I see." Master Hand said.

"But, it was keeping Lucario and myself occupied for a while." I said.

"I don't understand, assist trophies are only meant to stay out for 2 minutes tops." Master Hand said.

"I'm guessing the Reaper modified it." I replied.

"Yes, that's a possibility." Master Hand said.

Lucas and I left the Hand's office. We around the mansion eventually finding our way back into the library. "Nugai." Lucas said, breaking a rather painful silence.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Did the Reaper really have an assist trophy?"

"Yeah." I replied. "And it was nothing like Master Hand described. It was full of memories, and it seemed to stay active much longer, it only ended after we had given it enough damage. I wonder why though?"

"Maybe it had a bigger battery in it?" Lucas suggested.

I thought it over. "That makes sense, I guess. Though I guess it doesn't matter anymore. The Reaper is dead."

"Yeah." Lucas said. "So, now you just need to find your way home, right?"

"Yeah." I said. "I'm sure eventually the method and the way I got home previously will come back to me."

"When you do go back, will you forget about us?"

"No, not this time." I replied.

For the first time in a while, Lucas seemed brighter. He smiled.

We got up and went to the kitchen of the mansion, and got some food. Unfortunately for us, we had to cook it. That wasn't the problem for either of us. The problem was that neither of us knew what to cook. Thankfully, there was a strange talking cookbook on the counter that had tons of recopies in it. I looked through it, and eventually settled on a dish of tagliatelle with meat sauce.

I also figured with everything that happened today, it might be a good idea to bake a cake.

Lucas and I made the food. We sat down at the dinner table and ate in silence. After our food was done, we ate some chocolate cake. Throughout the meals, some Smashers would come in and notice that there was some food left over. I told them that they could have some, and they would take a bit.

When we were done, we got up and cleaned the dishes. I glanced over to where we had placed the chocolate cake and noticed that Kirby was staring at it.

"You can have some, Kirby." I said.

Of course, some of the things that I was told was to never get between Kirby and food. He would apparently openly murder me if I had taken any food that he set his eyes on, and was considering eating. Kirby took the rest of the cake and quickly ran off.

"Nugai." Lucas said. I looked at the young blonde psychic. "Will anyone else die? I don't want to see anyone else die."

I understood where Lucas was coming from. Seeing his mother and brother dieing in front of him. He probably joined the Smashers so that he could help protect people and make sure that they wouldn't die.

"Everyone dies eventually." I replied. He probably didn't want to hear that. But unfortunately, it was the harsh truth of the world.

Lucas just nodded.

"I won't die. I'll return to my world, and one day, we will meet again." I said.

"You promise?" Lucas asked.

"Promise." I replied.

Lucas smiled.

I reached out and just ruffled his hair. "Hey, quit that!" Lucas said.

"No." I said, just continuing to ruffle his hair. "Anyways, Lucas, I need someplace to bunk tonight since I'm guessing my room still isn't here in the mansion."

Lucas just nodded. "Okay." was all he said.

When we got to his room, I just collapsed on the floor, not even paying attention to anything. I was too exhausted.

Today wasn't a good day, and something told me that my remaining days were only going to get worse…


	21. Day 20: Emptiness

Day 20: Emptiness

When I awoke, my body was sore. I got up off of the ground of Lucas' room and looked around in the darkness. I stretched out; the floor wasn't comfortable at all. Then again, it was a wooden floor. There was no carpet, or anything to act as padding.

I went to the washroom, and when I came out a few minutes later Lucas was waiting at the door. He looked like he was still half asleep, his eyes were partly closed, and his hair was a mess. I just walked out, and he walked in.

I walked out of the room, and went through the mansion. It was still dark out, I expected everyone to still be asleep.

I felt empty.

I found myself in the kitchen. I looked at the cupboards full of flour and other items and soon just began to make pancakes.

When I was done, I ate the pancakes, and that emptiness still wasn't filled. I was certainly full, but the emptiness didn't come from hunger.

I felt confused.

I looked over my shoulder, and I expected someone to be there, but there wasn't. It was just like there was a void, and it was constantly drawing my attention.

I felt drained.

For some reason, just doing that simple task of making pancakes had exhausted me to no end. Both mentally, and physically. I didn't know why. I just found myself in the living room; I sat on the couch and watched TV.

And yet, I wasn't retaining any information that was presented. I couldn't focus. My mind was elsewhere. My eyes were just staring at a bunch of empty space. Had someone held up a gun to my head at that moment, I probably wouldn't have noticed it.

Something inside of me was constantly panging.

I felt like I had gone through this once before, and deep down I knew, this is what it feels like when someone close to you dies.

I didn't even register when the other Smashers came into the room. They walked by me, but they just seemed like quick blurs. When the TV station was changed to the morning weather I didn't respond. And soon I felt someone lightly shaking me.

I looked up. There was a hand on my arm. It was Ness'. "So, you finally respond." Ness said. "Geeze, we tried calling out to you and everything."

"Oh?" I said. I noticed he had a bucket of water behind him, I got the feeling that they were going to use that next.

"Come on, you've just been staring off into space all morning." Ness said. "Come with us." I looked beyond Ness and saw Lucas. Ness just grabbed my wrist and pulled me up.

I'm pretty sure Ness was actually dragging me. I just walked with him, not exactly putting up any resistance, or attempting to go in a different direction. They could have been leading me to my death and I wouldn't have cared.

We went outside, into the forest and then Ness began climbing a tree. "Come on!" He said.

I climbed the tree, and soon we got to a tree house. Ness just moved to a corner. "Wow, this place is great." Lucas said.

"Yeah, Popo, Nana, Young Link, and I built it during our Melee days." Ness said. "I was afraid that this was going to be brought down, but I'm glad it's still up."

He went into a hidden compartment, that was just a floorboard that was pulled up, and pulled out a box. "This is a time capsule." Ness said. "We decided to each put something in it for future generation of Smashers to open, and see what we were like."

He opened the box rather effortlessly, and soon pulled out a yo-yo, on the side it said "Hal Lab Nintendo 2001 Dolphin Loop."

"A box of trinkets?" I asked.

"What were you expecting?" Ness asked.

"I don't know." I replied.

He pulled out a few other items. An empty bottle with a label that said Lon Lon Milk. An ice axe.

_Okay, an ice axe isn't a toy! What is it even doing in there?_

"These were just items that we left behind." Ness said. He took the yo-yo and did a few tricks with it. "Anyways, this is the kid Smasher club house. There is some powerful magic here protecting this place, so you can't tell anyone about it."

"How did you get the magic?" Lucas wondered.

"Young Link helped with that." Ness laughed. "Anyways, only the Kid Smashers can know about this place, you got it?"

The two of us nodded. I honestly didn't think I was a kid, but… eh screw it. They didn't care.

"Okay, so I'm going to tell Red soon." Ness said. "Now, you two need to put an item into the box to prove that you're a true member."

We both looked at the box a bit confused. "Okay?" We said at the same time.

"You both have an item, right?" Ness asked.

Lucas pulled out a small golden badge. "I have my courage badge." He said. We both looked at it. It was a golden circular badge with a lightning bolt on it.

"And do you have anything to put in here Nugai?" Ness asked.

I just looked at the box. "No, I don't." I said.

"There's got to be some item in your room." Ness said.

"If my room was in the mansion." I said. "I'll find something."

Ness just nodded. "Don't forget though."

I nodded. I just looked out the window and into the forest. You couldn't see the crater where Lucario exploded from here, that was probably a good thing, as then I might of wanted to go there. Lucas and Ness however were whispering something.

"We can't leave him alone." Lucas said. "Who knows what he will do."

Ness just nodded.

I occasionally glanced over at them. Ness was reading a few comic books that he had stashed up here. "I'm done this comic." Lucas said. "Do you have another?"

"Not in that series." Ness sighed. "It really hasn't been updated in a year. Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Lucas said.

"Well, I've got a miniseries here." Ness said. "Non-Specific Action Figure issues 1-4."

"Okay." Lucas said.

"Do you have any Sonic the Hedgehog comics?" I asked.

Both Ness and Lucas were rather surprised that I spoke. "Pardon?" Ness said.

"Sonic the Hedgehog comics." I replied.

Ness gave me a rather confused look. "Sonic never had any comics." He said.

I figured at least in this world, in my world, of course he had comics. "But you can read the ones that Lucas just finished."

Lucas handed over a stack of three comics. They were called Disaster Day of Crisis, issues 1-3. It was actually a rather goofy comic. The premise was absolutely asinine. A terrorist group that could cause natural disasters. It helped pass the time, and get my mind off of things at least.

Once I was done that I started on Non-Specific Action Figure Issue 1. It was also rather silly. Just a comic about a toy that came to life, and became a super hero.

"So, this is where you guys went!" A voice said. Coming up the tree was Popo, and behind him was Toon Link and Red.

Popo showed Red the time capsule and he put in what appeared to be an empty Pokeball.

The three of them also started reading comics. Now though, it seemed like the treehouse was much smaller. "Looks like we're going to have to do renovations." Ness laughed.

Popo just let off a heavy sigh. "I'm not looking forwards to that. The new guys will have to do the work."

Everyone just glared at Popo.

I don't know how much time had passed, but everyone began to get out of the treehouse. We then made our way to the kitchen for some lunch. After we had finished eating, Mewtwo teleported into the kitchen. "Well, I finally found you guys." He said.

The kid Smashers looked a bit puzzled. "Why?"

"We're having a funeral for Lucario." Mewtwo said. "Go get changed."

They all nodded and got up walking away. I also began to get up. "Your room still hasn't been transported." Mewtwo said. "Sorry, but you don't really have any nice clothes."

"Can I borrow them from someone then?" I asked.

Mewtwo just shook his head. "I'm sure no one's will fit."

I looked around the kitchen. Mewtwo just poured himself a glass of water. "Nugai, are you ready?"

"I guess. We might as well get this over with." I said.

Mewtwo put his hand on my shoulder. He looked down at me. There seemed to be a certain sadness that was in his eyes. He then began to lead me to where the small ceremony was being held. Just out in the front garden.

Everyone else was dressed in their black costumes, or in several cases they were dressed in suits to mourn Lucario. The kid Smashers were the last ones to arrive. Many of them looked rather uncomfortable in the suits that they were now in. I also felt extremely out of place in my normal clothes.

It was just a quick ceremony; just one where a few people said a quick eulogy, and then it was over. "Let us remember Lucario, who died as a hero." Master Hand said.

They all disbanded and scattered across the mansion. I found myself back in the library skimming through the aura books once again.

I found a strange book. It listed several elemental aura attacks. Several of which seemed far too advanced for me to do. But it was a rather interesting read, if just for finding out stuff that aura could do. I found one attack called "Life Flame." It just allowed you to tell when whoever you targeted with the life flame passed away. Although the book's method for destroying this aura attack detailed it as someone simply using aura to push it away out of the target's body. Then whoever cast the Life Flame, would think that their target had died, and that it wasn't used so much because it was a very easy thing to fool.

There were also some other techniques, and it even listed how some items could be used, how a simple stick could be used as a medium for the Aura, and become a powerful sword. It even talked about a rare metal that with Aura was extremely malleable and yet at the same time durable, and how it was rumored that Aura Masters in the past could use their aura to constantly shape the weapon during battle. It just left me with the feeling that Aura was an absolutely amazing thing.

The next book I checked talked about using aura to strengthen armor, even normal clothes could become as strong as chain link armor with proper aura training. I just cried. I wondered how much Lucario wanted to teach me of this stuff, or even how much he knew.

In the books I also found something much more terrifying than what I thought I would find. It was a ritual to bring out the true power of aura, however, it was said that only one in every one million aura users could survive it. The book just went on to describe what those who failed the ritual experienced. An unfathomable pain, which was so bad they had to be mercy killed by others.

I read it over, and it terrified me. Yet it didn't describe really what you had to do for mastery. All that was written on it was a few small notes. "Only to be used as an absolute last resort, where even dying would seem like the better option. If pursued, there are several of these unlocking chambers hidden through out the world."

There was another book that I found. This one was called The Bloody History of Aura. It talked about aura in humans, how the first person to have aura was just a kid named: Ryu. Despite being young, he used his aura to perform miracles, to heal those who were sick. It was said that no one's aura has since matched his power. And yet, despite how powerful he suffered from an illness and was unable to heal himself. But he still preformed his duties despite how frail he was. It was even said that when he was ill, his Aura had increased in power nearly 10 times. Then one day, some people attacked a village where he was staying at, and in an ironic twist, while trying to capture him, they ended up killing him.

Those that he had healed and helped through out his life would have aura awaken in them, and they passed it down to their descendents.

I exited out of the library and just wandered through out the mansion.

But as the day went on, everyone seemed to be more distant. They were much happier, and cheery. They weren't acting like anyone who would still be mourning the loss of a friend or comrade. By the end of it, no one seemed to say Lucario's name. It felt odd, and made me feel uneasy. "Mewtwo, what's going on?" I asked.

Mewtwo however just looked at me. "What do you mean?" he asked. I however could read his aura like a book. He was obviously trying to hide something.

"I want to know why everyone seems to have forgotten about Lucario." I replied.

Mewtwo cringed. "I don't want to explain this." he said. "I'm sorry, Nugai."

I was suddenly blasted away by a shadow ball. I hit the wall and was knocked unconscious.

* * *

It was the summer. I had finally saved up enough money to buy what I wanted. A Nintendo Gamecube, along with Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. I was excited; I couldn't wait to get home to play with my new toy.

I wasted no time entering into the worlds once again. I watched the Melee battles as a spectator, not wanting to interfere. I also watched the events unfold in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. The only place I interfered was in the Chao gardens. Beyond that I explored endlessly Meteor Herd, enjoying the lack of gravity, and just having fun flying around. Not once questioning how I was breathing in space.

I was carefree.

* * *

When I awoke, I was in my own room. I looked around slightly confused. Everything seemed to be back where it was supposed to be. It had finally been transferred over from the HQ. I smiled; the thought of not having to sleep on the floor again was a rather happy one.

"What happened?" I muttered to myself

It took me a few seconds to remember that Mewtwo had knocked me unconscious. I clenched my fist in frustration. "What's next." I muttered.

I glanced at the clock. It was only 7:45 PM. There was still plenty of time to do something today.

I slowly got up and went into the washroom, and began to take a shower. I was having such a nice dream, I didn't want it to end. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on what that place was like. I knew it was out in outer space, but for some reason, I was visualizing someplace completely different. A building of some sort, a white majestic building that looked like a rocket.

My mind was just meshing up memories now.

I turned off the hot water and stepped out of the shower. Drying off with a towel that seemed to have every single symbol from the Smashers on it. I took the towel and used it to dry my hair, making it a giant mess. I glanced at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh.

I got dressed and walked out of my room. I went down to the kitchen and got something to eat from the fridge.

I sat down on a chair and just ate my dinner, which was just some left over pie that was in the fridge. When I was done I cleaned the dishes that were out there and decided to go look at all of the symbols on the wall. There were only 8 Pokeball icons, as opposed to the previous 9.

_Of course they took down Lucario's Pokeball symbol, he's no longer here._

I glanced at the wall, but there didn't seem to be any marks on the wall from any nails or whatever was being used to hold it. I inspected some of the others, and saw that there were indeed nails being used to hold them. I went over to where Lucario's icon used to be and used aura to see the wall. There were no marks even in the wall.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked.

I turned around to see Mario standing in the hallway. "Um, Mario, I think one of the pokeball icons is missing." I said.

Mario just began to look at all of the icons. "Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pichu, Mewtwo, Red, Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard." He said. "It looks like they're all there to me."

"Wasn't there nine yesterday?" I questioned.

"No, there's only been eight icons for nearly two weeks." Mario replied.

I was using aura to monitor him. He wasn't lying. I did my best to stay calm, but it was too difficult.

"What about Lucario?" I asked.

"Lucario?" Mario said rather confused. "Who's that?"

"He's a Pokemon." I replied.

"Hmm, you might want to talk to Red then." Mario said. "Maybe he knows what one is and what it looks like."

I was devastated. How could Mario just forget Lucario?

I went around, asking any of the other Smashers that I could find. But the result was the same. Each and every one of them didn't know who Lucario was. After talking to at least ten others, I just found a chair and broke down. I began to cry.

It was far too sad, for everyone to just forget about Lucario. I punched the nearby wall in frustration.

"Nugai, is something wrong?" a voice asked.

I looked up, and saw Lucas. He was rather nervous, and a little bit shocked to see me like this. "Yeah." I replied.

"What is it?" Lucas asked. "If something is bothering you, you should tell someone, they might be able to get whatever's bothering you off of your chest, and you'll feel much better."

"Lucas, do you ever fear that you will fade into obscurity? That in the end, after you die, no one will remember who you were, and then everyone else who knew you will just forget about you?" I wondered.

Lucas looked at me. "I think I know what you're talking about." He said. "After my mother died, it seemed like everyone else in Tazmily Village had forgotten about her."

I had a sudden jolt to my memory about how stupid it was to ask Lucas about this. I wanted to kick myself, as he should have been the last person I asked about this.

"Lucas, what were we doing around noon today?" I asked.

"Well, we were in the tree house." Lucas said. I looked up, rather optimistic at where this was leading. "And then we all gathered out in the garden for some reason."

"What was that reason?" I asked.

Lucas just looked at me a bit puzzled. "It was that sudden meeting that Master Hand called."

I was crushed. I think Lucas could tell that that wasn't the answer I wanted to hear.

"My memory is a bit foggy." I lied. "What was talked about at the meeting?"

Lucas just fidgeted for several moments. "Just some procedures, and some things he noticed around the mansion, like how a few people were being slobs and weren't cleaning up after themselves."

_What else could I ask about? There were a few who did eulogies. That's right, Mario said something!_

"Mario also said something right?" I asked.

"Yeah, he said that while he is a plumber, he isn't being paid for that here." Lucas said.

I looked down at the ground defeated. "Is that so." I said. Something had altered their memories. "Thanks Lucas."

I got up, and felt defeated. The Reaper was dead, the Pokemon that sacrificed his life was no longer remembered, and the Smasher's memories were replaced with something else. I was frustrated. I wanted to know what was the cause of this. I just walked around the mansion.

In the end, I found myself in the living room. I was exhausted, and quite frankly, I didn't want to go back to my room. The other Smashers had mostly exited out. There were a few who were watching a bad movie marathon, but they seemed to grow tired of heckling them and were getting ready to call it a night.

When the last Smasher had gotten up, he gave me the remote to watch what I wanted to. I just turned off the TV.

I just fell asleep on the couch in the living room. So much for using my bed.

* * *

**Notes:**

**I don't feel that good about this chapter.**

**Disaster Day of Crisis was a game for the Wii that didn't come to North America. (Because Reggie didn't like the voice acting after they commissioned a redub.)**

**Non-Specific Action Figure came from the Nintendo Direct before E3 2012.  
**


	22. Day 21: Replacement

**And with this chapter, the story passes 100,000 words... Yeah that's not really a big landmark in this section anymore. *Looks at a story that's over 3,000,000 words*  
**

* * *

Day 21: Replacement

I was awoken by some noises. I got up off of the couch and saw a spiky blob in front of the front door.

"Crap, crap, crap!" A voice was shouting. He was paying no heed to the time, and that people might be sleeping in the mansion. "That hurt! Whose bright idea was it to put a bench there? Do they just want people to stub their toes?"

"Sonic?" I said confused.

The sudden calling out of his name had scared him. Sonic jumped into the air. He turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. "Nugai, it's just you."

"Yeah," I replied. "It's just me."

"What are you doing up so early?" Sonic asked.

"Well, I really couldn't sleep." I lied.

"Oh, I see."

"And you?" I asked.

"I'm going out for an early morning jog." Sonic said. "Would you like to join me?"

I just looked at the hedgehog. "No," I said.

"Well, suit yourself." He said. "I'm sure that would have tired you out." And Sonic was suddenly out the front door.

I sat down on a couch in the living room. I picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels.

With the power of thousands of channels at my fingertips, I learned that there was absolutely nothing on TV, and it probably didn't help that it was all infomercials since it was still early in the morning. I sighed, eventually going to a biography channel. There was actually a biography on Sonic right now. It showed him developing some games, or at least in my world they would be games. Here they were just like a TV Show. Everything seemed to be an act. Dr. Robotnic's fortresses were just some elaborate and expensive sets. The roboticized animals were just animatronic props, or CG monsters. And the video games in our world were just licensed video games here.

_I wish there was that level of quality in licensed video games in our world._

The special seemed to be rather old. "With the Sega Movie Studios recently closing down, will Sonic the Hedgehog ever reclaim his former glory?"

Something in the back of my head was telling me that a lot had happened between Sega closing down, and now.

I sighed and began to flip through more channels. It was two hours later when Sonic came back into the Smash Mansion. "You're still up, Nugai?" He asked, rather surprised.

"Yeah." I replied. "I don't think I'll be going to bed any time soon. I'm no longer tired." He ran and jumped onto a chair. "Sonic, I saw a biography about you on TV."

"Oh?" Sonic laughed. "What did it say?"

"I'm not sure, I just caught the end of it, but it seemed like it was really old. It didn't mention anything about you joining the Smashers. It just went to when the Sega Movie Studios closed down."

Sonic gritted his teeth. "Things were different back then." He sighed. "I miss all the old Sega Superstars."

"Sega Superstars?" I asked.

"We're a group, much like the Smashers." Sonic said. "We are some of the talent from the Sega Movie Studios. Although, there isn't a lot of A Rank talent. That's one of the reasons why they had to close down. There weren't enough people wanting to see a bunch of B list talent."

"I see." I said. "Although I wish to see them someday."

"If you're still around I'll take you to the reunion party." Sonic laughed.

"Thanks." I said.

"So, Nugai, what are your plans today?"

"I have no idea." I sighed. "I guess just relaxing around the mansion, possibly reading some stuff in the library, and trying to figure out how to get home."

"That sounds boring." Sonic said. "Well, I've got other places to be, so see ya!"

And with that Sonic was gone.

Despite my earlier claims, my eyes suddenly felt heavy. With nothing to watch, and no one to talk to, I once again fell asleep on the couch.

* * *

I had a strange dream. I was just playing in a green field with a little Riolu. I was just throwing a ball, and it would hit it back. Soon it was lying on the ground, curled up like a cat. I just scratched the Riolu's head.

* * *

Several hours later I was woken by several of the Smashers stirring.

They looked at me rather confused. "Why would you sleep on the couch?" Link questioned. "You have your room back now."

"I was too exhausted to go up to my room." I answered. He just nodded.

I got up off of the couch. I figured I had a long day ahead of me, and I wanted to figure out why everyone had forgotten about Lucario. Though, I didn't know where to begin. Eventually I decided on checking the library, even though most of the contents seemed dedicated to fighting, there might be a little something that I could find. I'm sure there might have been books on memory loss from head injuries.

I suddenly stopped and began to walk towards Dr. Mario's offices in the mansion. If there were books on that, then maybe he would let me look at them.

_But what if he doesn't? No, wait, I can say it's for my amnesia._

However, I was soon intercepted by the kid Smashers. "Nugai, we've been looking all over the mansion for you." Ness said.

"Oh?" I said.

"What were you doing?" Toon Link wondered.

"I wanted to go to Dr. Mario's office to see if he had any books on amnesia." I replied.

"Oh?" Ness said. "Why?"

"Well, it's just I wanted my memories to return a bit faster." I said.

"Haven't they been coming back at a fine pace?" Popo wondered.

"I guess, but I really just want them back now." I said.

They all nodded.

"Do you want to play a game?" Lucas asked.

I glanced at all of the kid Smashers; I needed to find out what happened with Lucario, and why everyone forgot about him. But I figured I had a bit of time. "Sure." I managed to say.

"We'll just play a game of hide and seek." Ness said. "You do know how to play that, right, Nugai?"

I think my heart skipped a beat. Perfect. I could play, and look for the information without bringing up any suspicion.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Okay." Ness said. "So, we'll use the whole mansion, and a 100 meter radius around the mansion, that will be our boundaries."

Everyone nodded.

It was decided that Popo would be it. And we all separated. Several others went towards Dr. Mario's room. I decided that it probably would be better if I went there later, and went back on to my original plan of going to the library. It was probably big enough to use for a game on it's own. While there, I went and grabbed a book on Aura and began to browse through it, until I eventually found a picture of a Lucario.

_If I show them this, they will surely remember_.

I went around the library, going up to a second story, so I could see if someone entered, and if I should find a better hiding place. There were also a lot more books up there, and it included the section on injuries. I found a few books and quickly browsed them. I was hesitant on using the libraries search system to find the books, since I didn't know if the searches were logged, and it might be a bit suspicious.

Mewtwo knocking me unconscious yesterday had constantly remained in my mind. I wanted to confront him and ask what the hell he was thinking, or why he did that. But I didn't want to go empty handed. If I didn't go with proof, or something else to confront him, I felt that I would once again be knocked unconscious. And I felt that he couldn't know what I was doing no matter what.

It was a bit of a pain. I could only go by the title of the book, and that just got annoying. I found a book on head injuries, and read a bit about punch drunks. I wondered how much time had passed, and if Popo had actually found anyone. Then again, the mansion was a huge place, and it would be a matter of time. I just kept on looking through the books.

I waited, but no one came. I looked around the room and just sighed. I didn't know what was happening.

The doors to the library suddenly opened, and in came Popo and Toon Link. "I think I saw Nugai go into here." Toon Link said.

"Let's find him then." Popo said. He closed the door and placed his hand on it, causing the door to be frozen shut. They began to look through the library. I stayed hidden, and tried to figure out where to hide. I quickly jumped onto some statues that were hanging on the walls. Toon Link and Popo then came up to the second floor. The two of them looked around. "Are you sure he came in here?" Popo asked.

"I know I saw him in here." Toon Link replied.

They looked over the entire library, however never bothered to look up. I was nervous, and was wondering why they weren't using the Smash Pendant to look for me, but I just figured that was because they were being fair, and didn't want to cheat. They eventually left to look for some other Smashers. I waited a few minutes before dropping down to the second floor from the gargoyle that I was hanging onto.

I looked around the library a bit more, holding onto the book about aura.

Slowly I exited the library. The game however was put to an end, when Ness came running towards me. "Nugai, there you are!" he said. "Lucas just talked to me via telepathy, we have a problem."

He grabbed my wrist and began to pull me down towards the foyer, where all of the other Smashers had been gathered. They were all just as confused as I was.

"Come on out." Ness said.

While we were all walking outside, I got beside Toon Link and Popo. "Popo, Toon," I said. The two of them looked at me. "Next time, look up." I said. "I was hanging onto a gargoyle."

The two of them just laughed. "Oh." Popo said.

"Also, I was wondering if you two had ever seen this." I pulled out the book, and went to the page with a Lucario on it. The two of them just looked at the picture for several seconds.

"No, I've never seen a creature like that." Toon Link said.

"Same." Popo said. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." I said.

_So much for that plan. _

As we got outside, we heard another voice. "Somebody, help!" Lucas was shouting.

Everyone rushed to Lucas, we went into the forest and found another Lucario. Somehow, I could tell it wasn't the same Lucario that we had lost. "He's badly hurt, he needs help!" Lucas said.

This Lucario didn't seem trusting towards humans, he tried to escape the large group, and even fired several aura spheres at us. Eventually just Pikachu, Pichu, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard, Jigglypuff and Mewtwo approached him.

Popo and Toon Link were just looking at me rather shocked, and at the book. "What are the odds of encountering that creature here?" Popo asked.

"What does the book say about it?" Toon Link wondered.

I just handed it over to them, and turned my attention to that Lucario. This was too strange, and it was actually beginning to scare me.

_What the hell is going on?_

"I won't trust you Pokemon!" He growled. "I know you side with humans!"

"That's really nice." Mewtwo said. "Now, please come with us before you get hurt further."

I could feel my heart pumping. I didn't know what was going on. Everything was happening far too fast. I just punched a nearby tree in frustration. I don't think anyone actually noticed. "I hope they can get through to that Lucario too." Red said. "It's in pretty bad shape."

"Huh?" I just looked at Red absolutely confused.

"I thought you were frustrated because of the condition it was in." Red said. "It looks like it was abused and then released by its trainer. At least that might be part of the reason why it's not trusting us humans."

It took me several seconds to realize that Red had never once looked back at me when he said that. He was just looking forwards.

I looked at the Lucario. Ivysaur was now trying to put it to sleep with sleep powder so they could move it, but it was staying awake somehow. "I won't fall asleep." Lucario growled.

Mewtwo just looked annoyed. "That's it." He said. He just used a disable, and suddenly Lucario fell down unconscious. Everyone looked at Mewtwo a bit stunned. "Stop looking at me!" Mewtwo barked. "He needs treatment now!"

Dr. Mario just nodded and rushed to Lucario's side. He pulled out several spray bottles. He began to order a few things, mostly that some people such as Donkey Kong, and Captain Falcon helped carry the Lucario back to the hospital wing and that the other Pokemon be with him just in case Lucario woke up and attacked.

I had so many questions so I decided to follow them to the hospital wing in the odd chance that I could find something out.

Mewtwo actually seemed a bit suspicious. "What's wrong Nugai?" he asked.

"I just wanted to check that the Lucario was okay." I replied. I was relived that he could no longer read my mind to find out that I was lying. He also seemed to be having a bit of difficulty deciphering my true intentions. He just kept looking at me as though I was suspicious.

"He's in professional hands now, he will be fine." Mewtwo said. "You should know better than anyone how good Dr. Mario is in healing people. It's probably best if you don't approach him, you saw how hostile he was towards humans earlier."

"Red said it looked like he was abused by humans." I said, I decided that this was probably the best time to feign ignorance, and act like I didn't know what was going on. "Why would people hurt pokemon?"

Mewtwo just looked down at the ground. He was also frustrated. "People aren't truly good. Not to mention, it's a product of the times we live in. If pokemon can't protect you in this war, than they can be as good as gone." I walked past Mewtwo. I think he knew that I wanted to go there for other reasons, but he didn't stop me instead he said, "You won't get your answers from him. You have to go to Master Hand."

I glanced back at Mewtwo. "Thanks." I said.

I briefly debated about going to Master Hand, however I decided to go to the hospital wing first. I wanted to be 110% sure that that Lucario wasn't the Lucario that had died. I made it in there, Dr. Mario was currently away from his desk, and I sneaked in.

I heard some growling, and then opened the door a small crack to peer in. There were several Pokemon in the room. Ivysaur had vines wrapped around the Lucario to try and restrain him. Also holding him down were several belts. The bones that stuck out of his body as spikes had been covered by something to act as padding so no one got badly hurt by being impaled. Despite all of this, the Lucario was continuing to struggle and making sure everyone was having a hard time.

I walked in the room, he suddenly stopped moving his eyes fixed on me.

"Stay away!" Lucario growled.

I just stood at the entrance. "Lucario, I have a few questions for you."

"I'm not going to cooperate with you Human." Lucario growled.

"I didn't think you would." I said. I held out my hand and made an aura sphere. He just looked at me unimpressed.

"So what?"

"I'm sure you know that aura is rare in humans." I said. "I just wanted to see, what was your aura like."

From one of his restrained hands an aura sphere rushed right towards me. It hit me, but it didn't blast me away. "I see." I said. "It's weak, nothing like his."

I walked away.

"What do you mean nothing like his?" Pichu asked.

I however didn't respond. Everything was changing. They had all ready given that Lucario the old Lucario's Smasher Necklace, as though Lucario's sacrifice meant nothing and he was just some replacement. It was seriously pissing me off.

I passed by Mewtwo in the halls. He hadn't moved since I had left for the hospital wing.

He sensed my disdain about their decision. "We are all saddened by Lucario's sacrifice." Mewtwo said.

"Well, you could try showing it!" I snapped. "You just can't hand away that position like it's nothing!"

"In case you've forgotten, he was here even less time than you were." Mewtwo sternly replied.

I froze. He was right. We had met at that city. "We only made him a temporary Smasher to train you, and to try and find out anything else about the Reaper!"

"So, why does he need a replacement?" I snapped.

Mewtwo just looked down at the ground. "It was predetermined." He said.

"What? Predetermined?" I said annoyed.

Mewtwo just nodded. "It's best if you talk to Master Hand about this."

I looked at Mewtwo. "Fine." I said. "And I better get the answers I want."

I walked through the mansion. If any Smasher called out to me, I didn't hear them. I was determined. I need to know what was going on. I knocked on the door of the office. "Who is it?"

"It's Nugai."

"I'm busy." Master Hand said. "Come back later."

I placed my hand on the door, and just blasted it clean off the hinges with aura. "This can't wait." I said, walking in.

Master Hand was panicked. He shook, and looked around the room. "Nugai, I'm busy." He repeated. "I got your room in here, what more do you want?"

"I want answers." I said. "And I'm not leaving until I get them."

Master Hand just sent several energy bullets towards me. I was rather surprised, but I was able to dodge the attacks. At least with the finger gun he gave plenty of warning. He sent several more attacks towards me, each time I was able to dodge. I felt like I had seen his attacks and mannerisms hundreds of times before. And soon, his office was a wreck. A few of the Smashers came rushing in, wondering what the commotion was about.

"Everyone, restrain Nugai!" Master Hand ordered. "He broke in here and attacked me."

I waited to be tackled down to the ground, however no one charged at me. I turned around and saw the Smashers they were all looking at me in confusion. Mewtwo was also there. He had used disable to paralyse everyone. "No." Mewtwo said. "Master Hand. It's time he knew the truth."

Master Hand clenched his fist in frustration. I could somehow feel a piercing gaze upon me coming from the hand.

"I won't." He replied stubbornly.

"Do it, or else." Mewtwo said. He motioned to the other Smashers. It suddenly seemed like Master Hand was afraid.

"Very well then, everyone you're dismissed." Master Hand said. Everyone but Mewtwo left. "That includes you, Mewtwo."

"I'm making sure you keep to your word." Mewtwo said. "And don't just attack him again when everyone else's back is turned."

Master Hand snapped his fingers, and the doors were put back onto the hinges and then they closed. "What do you want to know?" He asked.

"Why did that other Lucario appear? This quickly after our Lucario died, that Lucario appeared?" I asked.

Master Hand let out a sigh. "It's the Status Quo." He replied.

"Status Quo?" I questioned.

"A divine law that makes sure that things must remain the same. That there must always be a Lucario, or a Mario in the Smashers, you get the idea, right?" Master Hand said.

I didn't know how to react to this. "So if one dies they are just replaced?" I snapped.

"Nugai," Master Hand said. "Please try to understand that this is the way it has to be."

"Tell me, if I go back home, will there be someone set in line to replace me?" I asked, probably not in the nicest of tones available.

Master Hand sighed. "Nugai, I know you're not happy about this. But for you, there will be no replacements. You were never apart of the Smashers, so the Status Quo doesn't apply to you."

"Why does this status quo exist?" I asked.

"It was made in order to make sure that the universe is always protected." Master Hand said. "It was made to make sure that the Smashers fulfilled their duty and would be able to kill one man."

"That's the Smasher's entire purpose?" I said shocked. "To just kill one person?"

"Yes." Master Hand replied. "This man is responsible for the deaths of billions."

"And what is his name?" I asked.

"His name is-" However, before Master Hand was able to finish his sentence, Ness rushed into the room, he had kicked down the doors and sent them flying off of their hinges.

"Master Hand, you need to come see the news. You too Nugai!" Ness shouted.

I didn't like how he said that. Something told me that it would probably be better for me if I lived in ignorance.

We went to the TV room; everyone was staring at the screen in horror. Soon, I also saw what was waiting. On the screen, perfectly fine was The Reaper. He was sitting on a car that was badly damaged.

"Nugai, I'm waiting for you!" He shouted. "On the top of Spear Pillar!"

"The Reaper is still alive!"

Everyone was horrified. "No!" Peach said shocked.

"This can't be, he sacrificed his life to kill him! No one should have been able to survive an explosion like that! He promised us that there would be no chance of the Reaper surviving!" I said.

It was a senseless sacrifice.

I wanted to be alone. Perhaps now Lucario's death hit me harder than it had before. It was a pointless death. I walked away, and Mewtwo followed.

"Nugai, are you all right."

Tears were going down my face.

"What have I done?" I asked. "All I've done so far is get people killed! I should just hand myself over to the Reaper!"

Mewtwo had clearly had enough of my whining, so he proceeded to slap me with his tail, but not just any slap, this slap was so fast that it warped the very fabric of reality so it looked like Mewtwo was actually just giving me a death glare, but it sure as hell felt like a slap.

And to be completely honest, I needed that.

"Quit your bitching." Mewtwo said. "Calm down! Lucario didn't die just to protect you! He made sure that The Reaper couldn't follow you to the Smash Mansion. And made sure that he was unable to access it, everything he did was to protect all of us! And then you ask what have you done? If it wasn't for you we wouldn't of know about the Reapers attack in advance and we would have been slaughtered. We would of been used as experiments by the Manager, and the Manager would still be alive doing who knows what. You've done a lot."

"Thanks Mewtwo." I said. "But that doesn't exactly make me feel much better. I'm still the one who showed the Reaper how to enter this world and, I just don't know what to do anymore."

"I don't know what you should do either." Mewtwo said.

"Mewtwo, I really need something to cheer me up." I said. "Can you tell me the story about when you were drunk?"

"No." Mewtwo bluntly replied. "Some things are better off being forgotten."

"I really need an upper." I said. "Please tell me!"

"No." Mewtwo said.

"Come on!"

"Don't be stubborn." Mewtwo said. "It won't end well for you. I assure you that you don't want to know."

_I will find out what happened... even if it kills me!_

Master Hand floated back to us. "I want to talk to you two in my office."

He snapped his fingers and we were teleported back into the office. "So, the Reaper is still alive." Master Hand said.

I looked at the two of them. Mewtwo had his hand on his chin and was rubbing it. "It seems that way, what sort of power does he have to avoid getting incinerated?"

"I've got an idea." Master Hand said. "I'm now beginning to piece everything together."

"Then, what is your current train of thought?" Mewtwo wondered.

"A month ago, I met up with Arceus." Master Hand said. "He was distressed that Dialga and Palkia had vanished."

"The Reaper." I said.

"Precisely, he has gained control of the Spatial Pokemon Palkia, and the Temporal Pokemon Dialga." I suddenly felt sick. I didn't believe it, that guy. I told them about those two. "He holds two physical Gods in his hands."

"Then what are you?" I asked.

"A physical God." Master Hand pointed out. "But that's not what is important. I believe that if he is behind their disappearance, and he was just haphazardly using their abilities, there may be grave consequences."

"Such as?" I asked.

"I fear that your world and our world are slowly fusing together." Master Hand replied. My heart seemed to skip a beat. "If they were to fuse together, what do you think would happen?"

"Chaos." I replied. "I'm positive it would be absolute chaos."

"Correct." Master Hand said. "I don't think your world would appreciate it. They will fight back. Of course, that is the best case scenario, there is also the possibility that when the worlds do fuse together both of them will be destroyed. Every single person, and being will die."

"I can't let that happen! I'm sure if the Reaper knew about that, he would stop what ever he was planning! We can't let this go on!"

"I know." Master Hand replied. "And we know where the Reaper's base is located. Spear Pillar."

"Then we should go and stop the Reaper!" I said.

Master Hand however seemed to hesitate. "I don't want to sacrifice anymore Smashers through this." He calmly replied. "One is one too many."

"I understand, then I will fight the Reaper myself." I said.

"Wait, stop Nugai!" Master Hand shouted.

_That's not my name; he must be referring to someone else..._

I walked out of the office and down the hall, until Mewtwo teleported in front of me. "Nugai, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to stop you."

"Why?" I asked.

"You will die against him." Mewtwo said.

"That's always a possibility." I said. "But I know that won't happen. Are you coming with me Mewtwo?"

"No." Mewtwo replied. "To Pokemon, Spear Pillar is sacred ground."

"I'll do my best to keep it in one piece then." I said.

I walked past Mewtwo. He didn't look confident. I quickly began to run away before he decided to actually stop me. I made it to the garage, and quickly took out a ship. I fled the mansion and just put the ship on auto pilot to get to Spear Pillar as soon as possible.

* * *

I stepped out onto Spear Pillar. The air was thin. I looked around the ruins. They had certainly seen better days. Pillars were shattered across the ground. Pillars that were still up had been covered with graffiti.

I looked around frustrated. What was holy ground for the Pokemon was defaced. I suddenly got the feeling that I wasn't alone. My hand grabbed the beam sword and I was ready to activate it at a moment's notice.

I closed my eyes, and tried to find the aura of any people hiding, but the aura of this place was far too strange. Everything seemed to radiate a different aura, there were even other objects that seemed to suck up all the aura. From behind a rock came a small boy. "Are you one of those visitors?" He asked.

I didn't know how to react to him. "I heard that there were people here." I replied. "One who goes by the name of The Reaper."

"The Reaper?" he said. "Matrix, is there anyone here who has that name?"

Another child came from behind another rock. "I don't think so Numbers." The child said. "I don't think I heard any of those people calling them by name."

I closed my eyes and tried to figure out who these kids were. They however had no aura.

_What's going on?_

"What's going on? Why are they here? Why is this place's aura so strange?" Matrix said.

"You can see aura?" Numbers asked. He was suddenly right beside me. I didn't know when he did that. "So, that could probably explain why you can see us."

Matrix had suddenly appeared beside me. "You might have figured it out, but we don't exactly truly exist here. We're spirits. Ghosts if you will."

"Ghosts?" I asked.

"Yep, a long time ago, this was a battleground."

I reached out, however my hand just went right through them. "I see." I said.

"We've been sleeping for a long time." Matrix said. "We were sealed underneath the Spear Pillar, and recently we woke up."

"Dialga and Palkia were captured by the Red Chain." Numbers sighed. "Their capture had awoken us and altered this area."

"Do you know where he is, and if he comes here often?" I asked.

"Who?"

"The person who captured Dialga and Palkia?" I replied.

They just laughed. "Yeah, he's ahead. Be careful though, Dialga and Palkia will protect their master."

I just nodded. "Thank you, you two." I said. I walked through the Spear Pillar. There were others there, they were glaring at me.

"That's him, isn't it?" one thug asked.

"Well, there is one way to find out. Attack him, if you're still alive afterwards, he wasn't the one." Another said.

"I can hear you." I replied. "I'm Nugai, where is the Reaper?"

They just pointed deeper into the ruins and I continued walking, occasionally asking a nearby person. They just continued leading me deeper and deeper into the ruins.

Eventually, I came face to face once again with the Reaper. He was just sitting in the middle of what appeared to be a shrine.

"Nugai, so you came." He said.

Dialga and Palkia's eyes were fixed on me. I could feel their power, and feared that in a second I could be obliterated from existence. He raised his hand and the two of them just vanished into thin air.

"Yes." I said.

"You came, even though you knew what awaited you." The Reaper said.

"Listen, you have to stop this!" I pleaded. "If you go through with this, you could destroy both worlds!"

"And all of a sudden you start caring about that world?" The Reaper questioned. "Gee, I didn't think you would. After all, this was your idea. This whole plan to fuse together the worlds. To use Palkia's spatial powers to make our world more exciting, so you wouldn't have to grow up and work a 9-5 desk job. And now you're telling me that you don't want to go through with it!?"

_This was all my idea? What the hell?_

"You looked shocked. You still don't remember do you? But don't worry, I'll make sure that the two worlds fuse together properly."

None of this made sense.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

He looked at me. "You don't remember anything do you?"

"All I remember are bits and pieces! Please, let's just go back to our world. Quit being the Reaper!"

The Reaper looked at me. "That's easy for you to say. You can always go back."

"What are you talking about? You can go back too, right?"

"No I can't." The Reaper said.

_What?!_

"Not unless the worlds merge."

"But-"

"You don't get it yet do you. With Dialga, I can try again and again. If I screw up and destroy both worlds, I can just reset time and do it again!" The Reaper said. "I can create it, the land that we dreamed of. The land of Fantasia!"

"But why do you need to merge the two worlds together?" I asked.

"You don't remember it do you?"

"Remember what?" I shouted.

"In our world, I'm all ready dead."

I looked at him a bit terrified. A jolt of pain went through my head.

* * *

I don't know where I was when I first heard the news; after all for a few months it was everywhere. It was really strange... A car accident. However, one car was completely empty. There had been indeed been someone in the car during the accident through witness reports and blood found on the seat. Something had pierced through the driver. When the authorities arrived, and tried to find the person inside it was empty. All there was, was an open DS on the passenger seat. It was also badly damaged from the crash. Although there was something etched upon the top of the DS, the word Fantasia.

This mysterious accident made international news. It was a bit frightening when they released the name of the person who had supposedly vanished.

My mind was in shock. I hoped that I had misheard his name. I hoped that he would post something online and just say that his car was stolen by some asshole and totalled... I hoped for too much. He had completely vanished off of the face of the earth.

* * *

"I get it now." I muttered. "You actually went into this world to escape your death!"

"Correct." The Reaper replied. "I was saved by some talented doctors in this world. Perhaps now they regret saving me. Then again, I guess I was lucky that the game I had in the DS was Trauma Center."

"My copy if I'm remembering correctly. I had to buy another one because it was totaled and confiscated as evidence you asshole." I snapped.

"I sat here waiting in this world. Waiting for you to piece together everything and come and get me. But you never came." The Reaper said.

"Because I didn't think of it." I replied. "We couldn't enter the Gameboy screens, we could put our hands through, but would get stuck somewhere on our arms. A DS Screen wouldn't be any different due to the size of it."

"Tell me, you remember jumping through inflatable rings in the pool?" The Reaper asked.

"No, I don't."

"Well, you would jump off of the diving board and through inflatable rings. Including ones where the holes were probably a bit too small, but you would fit through them."

"Well, I imagine that gravity helped and they weren't super small like a DS Screen." I replied.

"Still, you could force your body through it." The Reaper said. "I did something similar with that DS. More or less forcing my body in through the portal. It worked, but it hurt quite a bit." he pulled up his cloak to reveal his scared arm. "Essentially, I just expanded the portal using my own body."

"I see." I said. "Now how did you survive Lucario's Aura explosion?"

The Reaper just laughed. "A simple time stop using Dialga's powers." He snapped his fingers and suddenly he was right behind me. "Now you get it. In an instant, I could kill you." His scythe was right by my neck ready to cut it off.

"Yeah, I get it." I said. "You're a coward, and a cheater."

"Aren't you the same?"

"Maybe." I said. "Now, I want another answer. I'm guessing the way I entered the world this time wasn't like we did when we were younger."

"Correct, I decided to pull you into this world by force by using Palkia!" Things were beginning to make sense. "Not just you, but your whole room."

"And you could have killed me!" I protested.

"I could of, and if I did, I would of just used Dialga to reverse time and do it again."

I backed away from The Reaper. I didn't believe this. "So, you would of killed me since you could just reverse time!?"

"Do I have to repeat myself again?" He asked. "Yes, I would of."

"So, even if we are friends that meant nothing!"

"We're not friends. If we were, you would have found me!" The Reaper shouted. "We could both go to and from this world at will!"

_Why didn't I try and find him here? Why didn't I go back into this world... Damn it... There had to be some other reason!_

"So, I'm going to leave you in the same state that you left me!" He rushed forwards and suddenly impaled me with his scythe. It hurt like hell. "But don't worry, I'll leave you with the chance of being saved. Consider that a Christmas gift."

I was constantly blinking in and out of consciousness. I could see myself being dropped off in front of a hospital, people gathering around me, I seem to remember someone putting an needle in my arm.

The next time I woke was the next day…

* * *

**Notes:**

**I feel much better about this chapter than I did the last.**

**Mewtwo slapping Nugai, was a reference to the rather infamous edit in Pokemon Adventures Volume 11, regarding the slap being changed into a death glare in the North American version.**


	23. Day 22: Misfortune

Day 22: Misfortune

I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. I was still alive. In my arm was an IV drip. I looked around the room, standing at the bed's end was a doctor. He was wearing white. "You're awake." he said.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"I was quite surprised, to find Nugai in front of this hospital. What happened?"

"I was stabbed by the Reaper." I muttered.

"Consider yourself lucky to be alive." He said walking away. "We've all ready contacted the other Smashers, they are on their way here."

_Damn it, that's all they are going to remember me by. Just constantly being in a hospital bed..._

I lied there in the bed for about half an hour. Suddenly there was a knocking at the door. "Mr. Nugai, you have visitors." A nurse said.

"Send them in."

I heard the nurse mentioning that only two people at a time could enter into the room. The first two were Ness and Lucas. "Hey." I said.

"You look like shit." Those were the first words out of Ness' mouth. I cringed.

"Gee thanks."

"Don't worry, Dr. Mario is working on the paperwork to get you transferred." Ness added on. "I can't imagine the food here tastes all that good." Ness was clearly nervous. I could gather that he didn't like hospitals; every word he spoke seemed to have urgency to it, as though he didn't think what he was saying through, and that he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Lucas also seemed like he didn't want to be here. Several times he opened his mouth as to speak, but no words came out. I could only guess that he was beating himself up over what happened to me, deep down in his mind he was probably thinking that it was his fault that I went and confronted the Reaper, even though he had absolutely nothing to do with it.

The air was awkward. I didn't think I would be able to handle much more silence. "If you aren't going to say anything, get out so someone else can go in!" A frustrated Link shouted. I silently thanked Link.

"Who all came here?" I asked.

"Well, Link, Snake, Red, Meta Knight, Marth, Dr. Mario and us." Lucas nervously replied.

"Crap, no Mewtwo... I thought he would enjoy watching me writhe in pain." I sighed. "Ness, I want you to go out and send Red in."

Ness seemed happy to oblige. A few seconds later Red came in. He looked at me rather nervously, wondering why I had called him. "Red. Tell me, what do you know about Dialga and Palkia?" I asked.

Red seemed shocked by the question. "Dialga is the Pokemon with dominion over time, and Palkia is the Pokemon with dominion over space. Why?"

Nothing I didn't all ready know, but at least it was nice to have a confirmation.

"I think I've figured out how to defeat the Reaper." I said. Immediately everyone else quickly barged into the room.

"What? How?" Snake asked.

A rather frustrated nurse just came in. "All of you out now!" She snapped.

"It's all right Angie." A voice said. Walking into the room was the doctor who was treating me, and Dr. Mario. "My good friend here has explained the situation, and we will be transferring him to his care."

"If you insist Dr. Stiles." Angie said.

"Okay, so how can we beat the Reaper?" Snake asked.

"Well, I really don't know how to beat him, but I do know his goals now..." I replied. Everyone just looked disappointed.

"Well, let's just get him back to the Smash Mansion, he can explain it to us when everyone is there." Snake growled.

I looked up at Dr. Stiles. "Could I just talk with the doctor for a few minutes before we leave."

Everyone looked at me rather surprised. "I don't see the harm in that." Dr. Mario said.

They left me alone with Dr. Stiles; he looked a bit confused as to why I wanted to talk to him. I just sat there rather relived that I could talk to him. "Can I just ask you a few questions."

"Sure."

"It's probably about a subject that you don't want to talk about." I said. "It's about the Reaper."

He cringed.

"You were the one who saved his life here." I said. "He appeared in front of the hospital just like I did, and you operated and saved him."

"Yes." Dr. Stiles said. "That's correct. Of course, that was before he was the Reaper."

"Would you still save him now?"

"It's my job as a doctor to save lives. Despite what he's done, I would still try to save his life."

"Can I ask why?" I asked. "Is there another reason besides just being a surgeon and that's your job?" I asked.

He let off a heavy sigh. "Well, there is a bunch of reasons. I don't know if they are what you are looking for."

"Anything is fine really." I replied. "Right now, I'm confused, I just don't know what to do. How I should move forwards, so I wanted guidance."

"When I was young, I decided to become a doctor, and that I would do whatever was in my power to save all of the lives possible. Despite all that he's done, he is still a human being. Then again it might be crueler for him to live and own up to what he has done, than to just die."

I sat there. "Cruel mercy huh." I muttered.

"In the days he was recovering, he seemed confident that someone would be coming to get him, but as time passed he became a bit more frustrated."

"He went to the Smashers, right?"

"Yeah," Dr. Stiles said. "At the time, Dr. Mario came to get him, and put him in the Smash HQ. I don't exactly know what happened there, but as you saw, it didn't end well."

I nodded. He was really waiting for me on this side. "Thanks doctor." I said.

Within a few minutes I was discharged from the hospital and on a ship heading back to the Smash Mansion. As soon as we landed, the others just began to escort me down somewhere else. A room that didn't look all that different from a college class room. Several levels with a bunch of chairs, and then a table, arranged so that they were all looking down at a single point where someone would present something.

In this case, there was a single chair there, and I was told to sit down in it. All of the other Smashers were slowly walking through the door and sitting in the seats. Or in the case of Pichu, Kirby, Pikachu, and Jigglypuff, just on the table.

There was also a giant wooden table behind the seat that I was sitting at. Master Hand and Crazy Hand were floating there.

With all of the Smashers gathered, Master Hand started the meeting. "All right Nugai, please tell us what the Reaper's plan is."

I was actually shocked. They just jumped right into it, no "Hey, welcome back." No jokes about how I should stay away from knives. Just tell us the details.

It took me a few seconds to actually mentally prepare myself.

"Hurry up!" Wario shouted rather impatient.

I seized up. Several others saw this and just glared at Wario. "Hey, he's having a hard time." Pichu shouted back.

"He just got out of the hospital!" Ness said. "Cut him some slack! He didn't have any time to prepare!"

"Ness is right." I said. "I need to collect all my thoughts." I began to take deep breaths to calm myself down. But it wasn't helping. It just made me more self aware that as I just sat there, all eyes were on me, piercing through me. I was slightly relieved that they could no longer read my mind, so I could answer everything at my own pace. I closed my eyes, and blocked them all out. I just imagined that I was alone in front of a mirror, and ran through the details in my mind.

Eventually I was ready.

"It's called Project Fantasia." I began. "In theory, Project Fantasia is supposed to fuse together both the real world where I come from and this world."

"That is absolutely stupid, who ever thought about a plan like that?" Wolf growled.

"You're looking at him." I replied.

The Smashers all looked at me rather confused. "What?" they said flatly.

"It's a long story." I said, hoping that they wouldn't press further.

"We have all day." Fox added in.

I sighed, hoping I would lose my voice really quickly. "Okay. However, I apologize for any plot holes, as I only know so much and I'm still waiting to regain my memory to fill in the rest of the holes. In the real world, the Reaper and I knew each other, and we were best friends. One day, several years ago I found out how to enter into this world. One day, I brought him into this world, and he also gained the ability to travel through the two worlds at will. Afraid of growing up and stop having fun we decided that we would find a way to fuse the two worlds. We called that Project Fantasia. However we couldn't figure out the exact specifics of how it would be possible. What I know is I somehow forgot about this world. And there was an accident killing the Reaper in my world, however, he escaped to this world to save his life. He also somehow captured Dialga and Palkia, and used Palkia to bring me in here. And that's how we got here today."

They continued to stare at me. Each of them rather shocked at this.

"So, in a sense you masterminded the whole entire Reaper plan." Snake growled, reaching for a hidden weapon. Marth however drew his sword and placed it right by Snake's neck.

"Let's hear him out." Marth calmly said.

"To be honest, in a way, I was the mastermind behind the Reaper, yes." I replied. "Project Fantasia was originally my idea. However, we were young and stupid back then. Back then we were ignorant, not knowing the way the worlds worked. Back then we thought the impossible was indeed possible."

I wondered if all of the Smashers would hate me now. They probably did, and were just tolerating my presence. Ness and Lucas were nervously shifting around, as though they didn't want to be here. Several other Smashers were also showing off nervous traits. I figured I might as well continue. "All I know about the current incarnation of Project Fantasia is that he plans on using Palkia to merge the worlds. If he screws up and destroys both worlds he will just use Dialga to rewind time to try again."

"This is insane." Falco said.

"And, I think he knows it's going to work." I said. "As unfortunately, I'm living proof that it's possible. That is how I came to this world. He used Dialga to teleport me."

Everyone nodded. "So, do you intend to stop the Reaper, or are you still going to go with Project Fantasia?" Mario asked.

"I am going to stop the Reaper." I replied. "I believe that Project Fantasia should never become a reality."

I hoped that it sounded sincere enough. Everyone was watching over me, making sure I didn't do any sudden movements.

"Thank you, please step outside then." Master Hand said. I was escorted out of the room by Link. He just left me in front of the door.

"Stay right here if you know what's good for you." Link said.

He walked into the room and the door closed. I pressed my ear against the door to try and figure out what was now going on in there, However the room was sound proof. I just sat down on the ground and tried to figure out how to stop Project Fantasia.

_Did we always give everything stupid little names like that?_

I leaned my back against the wall. I tried to use aura to see what was going on in there, but it appeared to be blocked by some mysterious force. Perhaps due to all that happened to me, I dozed off.

* * *

It was that night once again, November 18th, 2006. "So, besides Mother 3, what else have you played in Japanese?"

"Well, the fourth Generation of Pokemon, I've imported." I replied.

He let off a laugh. "Geeze man, you never change."

"When was the last time you played?" I wondered.

"Gold/Silver." He replied.

I just nodded. "Well, this generation is called Diamond and Pearl. The plot is the Galaxy Gang, or Ginga-dan, probably going to be translated as Team Galaxy."

"Team Galaxy?!" He said, with his eyes rolling.

"Yeah." I replied.

"That sounds so amazingly corny. What were the previous games?"

"Ruby and Sapphire. The teams there were Team Magma, and team Aqua." I explained.

"And what is Team Galaxy's evil plot?" He wondered.

"Well, it's the same in both versions." I said. "Basically they are going for the legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia depending on the version. Dialga has the ability over time, while Palkia has dominion over space. They need the legendary pokemon to remake the universe."

"Well, that suddenly escalated." He laughed. "It certainly has changed from the animal abuser rockets of our youths."

I just sat there. "Indeed."

"Still, a Pokemon that can control space itself? Don't you think that's a little broken? In theory couldn't it just never have an attack hit it? Shouldn't all attacks just be able to phase through it, or miss him completely?"

"In theory, I guess." I replied. "Though I don't think it's actually that strong in the game."

"Well of course it wouldn't be." He said. "But hypothetically speaking, don't you think that Palkia could be able to do that?"

"Sure." I shrugged.

"Tell me, do you think Palkia might also be able to cross over?" He asked.

My eyes just flared open. I looked around, seeing if anyone else was paying any attention. A few other people were absorbed in their own conversations, while another had an MP3 player and was listening to it. "Can I talk to you over there?" I just asked, pointing at the other side of the parking lot.

He nodded.

We both walked over to the other side. I glanced back to see a few people just looking at us rather confused. "Have you told anyone?"

"No." The reaper said.

"Listen… I need to tell you something." I began to stammer out. I don't know why, but I was absolutely terrified. I was looking for the words that I wanted to use, hoping that they would just magically appear in my mind. As a spectator, I was hoping that what I was trying to say, that this dream or memory, or whatever it was, would actually reveal everything.

"I won't go back in." the words eventually escaped my mouth.

He stared at me rather shocked. "What?" He said.

"I won't go back in." I replied. "Something happened."

He grabbed my shoulders. "What?!" He shouted. "Tell me!" He had no regards to if people were eavesdropping. "What happened?"

He was frantic. Both of us wanted to know the answer. "Please, tell me what happened? Are you hurt? Was it them?"

* * *

I was suddenly woken up by the door opening behind me. I didn't respond and just closed my eyes, trying to get back to sleep to finish the dream and get some answers. "Nugai!" a voice said. It was Lucas'.

Lucas began to shake me. I looked at him, still half asleep. "Everyone wants to see you in there." He said.

I could feel my heart pounding. Slowly I got up and walked into the room. Eyes were piercing me.

"Nugai, we have voted and decided your fate." Master Hand said.

_Can you try to sound not so menacing?_

I just nodded

"After much debate we have decided what is going to happen. You will accept our judgment. There will be no objections."

_For the love of crap just say what you're going to do..._

"Now, I want you to know that it was very hard to come to this choice. We all voted, and it was extremely close."

"Can you please get to the verdict?" I sad slightly annoyed. "None of this beating around the bush."

"Of course." Master Hand replied. "We have decided to keep you with the Smashers. You will work to stop the Reaper and Project Fantasia. Is that clear?"

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Yes." I replied. I was overjoyed. I looked at the Smashers. A few were scowling. I wondered who voted against me staying in the Smashers, but ultimately decided that that was irrelevant.

"You will also be under constant guard." Master Hand continued. "If at any time, even as a joke, you say that you are going to go to the Reaper, the Smasher that is with you will eliminate you."

_For the love of crap, at least say 'kill'!_

"I understand." I replied. I knew I had no intention of helping the Reaper. "So, who's going to watch over me first?"

They all grumbled something. I figured they hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

"I'll do it." Lucas volunteered. Several Smashers seemed to breath a sigh of relief. The room quickly emptied out. And Lucas just stood beside me.

"Why did you volunteer?" I asked.

"Because you're my friend." Lucas replied.

Was that the only reason?

"Thanks Lucas."

So, for the rest of the day, Lucas had to be by my side. He tried to talk to some of the kid Smashers, but they were hesitant on being with both of us. I couldn't really blame them.

"Well, since we have nothing better to do, we can have a brawl." I suggested.

Lucas nodded.

We made our way to the fighting room inside of the mansion. Captain Falcon and Samus were there, however as soon as they saw us they both quickly left the room.

"For the love of crap!" I shouted. "I didn't say I was working with the Reaper, I just said that Project Fantasia was my idea! Why the hell are you all being so distant!"

I just sat down on a bench. Lucas sat down beside me. "You said that the Reaper was dead in your world."

"Yeah." I replied.

He just looked down at the ground. "Very few Smashers know what losing someone feels like." He said. I couldn't help but wonder if this was part of the reason why he was watching over me. "Tell me, if you could revive him in your world, without using Project Fantasia, would you do it?"

I wanted to know if this was a test.

"Under the condition if I could stop the accident, and make sure that he never came into this world in the first place." I replied.

He nodded. Was it a good answer? A bad one? I didn't know. Lucas then went over to a computer and began to type in some match settings. "Okay, everything is set. I doubt we're going to have anyone else want to join us."

We were teleported to Castle Siege. We exchanged blows. Lucas wasn't holding anything back. But soon, before either of us had knocked out either one, a voice shouted out. "TIME UP!"

We were teleported back into the other room. Lucas just looked at the ground rather embarrassed. "I forgot to change it from stock to time!" He said.

"It's fine." I managed to say. "I was able to get my mind off of a few things."

"Okay!" Lucas said. "Well, I had some fun." His stomach began to growl. Both of us laughed.

"Well, how about I make some dinner."

"You can cook?" Lucas said rather shocked.

"Yeah."

We went into the kitchen. Being a surprise to absolutely no one, it was empty. I began to rummage through the fridge, grabbing various vegetables and some beef. I began to cut up the vegetables.

"Do you know how to cook Lucas?" I asked.

"Sort of." Lucas replied. "Since my mother died, I took care of cooking food in our house."

"It must of been hard, losing your mother." I said.

"Yeah."

I began to cook the various vegetables and the beef, putting in some soy sauce. During this I also put on some rice. When it was done I handed Lucas some food. "Well eat up." I said.

We both sat down at the table. Several other Smashers glanced into the room to see what smelled so good, however after they saw me they quickly left. I guessed that they thought that the food was poisoned. When Lucas was done we got up and washed the dishes. I looked at the leftover food. It felt like such a waste. "Are you full?" I asked.

"Yeah." Lucas replied.

"I don't want to throw out that food." I said. "It feels like such a big waste."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "I'm sure someone will eat it though." I hoped so, just as long as they didn't know I made it. We walked away. "So, due to having to watch you, I was wondering would you rather be in my room, or your room?"

Come to think of it, my bed and dresser and everything was finally placed in the Smash Mansion. I guess I could finally sleep in my own bed. My own comfy warm bed. "My room." I replied.

"Okay, can we just go to my room for a few minutes to get some stuff?" Lucas asked.

"Sure!" I replied.

After all, it isn't like he is going to get a knife to stab me during my sleep, to give a mercy kill since we were friends. Or what if he was? Oh crap! No, I'm over thinking this!

We walked to Lucas' room. I made sure to actually enter in and help him gather stuff so that my paranoia didn't get the better of me. "You can wait outside." Lucas said.

"I'm sure the other Smashers wouldn't want me out of your eyesight." I quickly replied.

"Okay." Lucas replied. "That's fair enough."

We walked into his room. It was simple, just having the necessities. A bed, a dresser, and a few photographs on the walls. The photo's just featured him, with his family and dog. Sleeping on his bed was Chocolate. I stared rather shocked at the cat. "How do you get around? Can you pass through walls?"

Chocolate glanced at me, with a look that said 'oh, right you...' and then promptly went back to sleep on Lucas' bed.

"He was in my room when the rooms were moved here." Lucas replied. "Ness told me that Master Hand moved everyone's rooms into their rooms here through some manipulation of space."

"I see." I replied.

Lucas began to gather his clothing items into a bag. I just looked at the framed photos of him with his brother. "Do you miss your brother?" I asked.

"Yes." Lucas replied.

"Was there another reason why you volunteered to watch over me today?" I asked.

"I feel sorry for you." Lucas replied. "It's clear that you and the Reaper were good friends. And, I won't blame you if you decide to turn against the Smashers." I turned around to make sure I was still in the same room with Lucas. "I can relate. There was a time where I would have done anything to get both my mother and Claus back to life. I know there is no way, but if there is a chance that the Reaper could come alive in your world, would you take it?"

I was a bit shocked. He pretty much asked the same question once again. I could imagine that people were listening in, that this room or Lucas was bugged, and Lucas didn't actually volunteer as he was chosen as a person I trusted the most and was constantly letting my guard down around. It was probably a good idea to tread cautiously.

"As I am right now, I barely remember the Reaper." I replied. "It is the fate of all things to one day die. Myself, Chocolate, you, and the Reaper, one day we will all expire. As he is right now, I don't want to revive him. In this world he has slaughtered people who are alive. He isn't the person who I remember."

"And what about Project Fantasia?" Lucas asked. "What about that?"

"If our worlds do merge, it will cause too much chaos." I replied. "But at the same time, it might be beneficial. Diseases that have no cure in my world may have a cure here. But the new technology brought on by the worlds fusing could lead to death and destruction. An arms race could start, ending in war. We were young and naive back then when we thought about Project Fantasia. Everything seemed two dimensional. Everything was black and white…"

Lucas had finished packing. He went over to Chocolate and scratched him on the head. He picked up Chocolate and we walked out of his room.

We eventually got back to mine. I opened the door, and it was just like it was back at the Smash HQ, complete with the mini kitchen. Lucas just rushed in and looked around.

I walked over to my bed and collapsed. I had forgotten what a comfortable bed felt like.

_No more sofas or hospital beds for me please!_

I could go to sleep right now...

"What are we going to do now?" Lucas asked.

"I want to sleep." I replied. "You have no idea how happy I am to have my own bed right now..."

Chocolate proceeded to jump on my bed and then rush over to me. He then began to try and fluff my stomach. Lucas just laughed. After he had fluffed my stomach an adequate amount, Chocolate curled up into a small ball and lied there. I realized that any movement right now would result in his back claws digging into my skin. "I can't move." I said. Lucas let off a bit of nervous laughter, I guessed he experienced moving when Chocolate has declared that he is using you as a bed. "You can watch TV." I said pointing towards a controller.

Lucas grabbed the remote and turned on my TV. However, he was greeted with a blue screen. "Nugai, what's that white box?" Lucas asked.

I looked up and saw the white box beside the TV. Lucas went over and pressed the power button. The health and safety warning came on the screen. "Get one of the white remotes." I said.

Lucas got a white remote and pressed a button. A few moments later the Wii had entered into the main menu. Lucas looked at each of the small windows. "Point the remote at the screen." Lucas followed my instructions. He was suddenly memorized.

"This is amazing!" Lucas said. "I've never seen anything like this!"

I realized that I should have stopped Lucas. I realized that I was about to open a giant Pandora's Box. And yet, I continued down this path. "Go to the top left box." I said. He did so. "Now press A." He followed the order perfectly, the screen enlarged and a deafening blast came out. Lucas jumped back, however he just began to read the words.

"What's Super Smash Bros. Brawl?" He asked.

"Push start, and you'll find out." I replied.

Lucas did just that.

Start up, safety screen, online interactions not rated by ESRB, loading screen, loading screen, loading screen.. Blah, blah, blah... Do I normally have the patience for these things?

The opening cinematic began. Lucas looked at it confused, he was trying to figure out what had just happened. He thought he had seen himself and a bunch of other Smashers on a cliff side. The logo however appeared. He glanced at me and then back at the TV. Mario had appeared on the TV, followed by Link holding out the Master Sword. Kirby came next, and then Pit surrounded by strange creatures. Peach and Zelda, Meta Knight, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

I could sense that he wanted to ask so many different questions right now.

Up next was Fox, followed by King Dedede, Sheik, Final Destination with himself, Bowser and Samus being launched away by Pikachu's thunder. Ike holstered his sword on his shoulder, and Samus looked at her power armor.

I glanced at Lucas there was a look of terror, and yet at the same time excitement across his face.

Wario jumped down a cliff, and a red pikmin patted Captain Olimar. Yoshi was sleeping on a log. Nana and Popo were jumping up and down. Lucas was on the ground and Ness was in front of him, having brushed away an attack. Red held out a pokeball, while Lucas' finger began to spark.

I now expected the onslaught of questions. He now knew that there was no way that I could deny what he was seeing.

"Why do I look so weird?" That was the first question out of his mouth.

I shot up so fast that Chocolate didn't even have time to dig his claws into me. He certainly wasn't a happy kitty, but tough luck. "That's the first question you have?" I asked dumbstruck. I hoped that he just couldn't take in so much information all at once and that was just the first thing that came to mind.

"Yeah." Lucas replied. "I mean, my head is as big as my torso. My proportions are all wrong! Everyone looks weird!"

I avoided telling him that was how I perceived him the first little while I was here, until he magically gained more human proportions.

I grabbed a gamecube controller and plugged it into the first slot. "In my world, this is what your fights look like." I explained. "You're characters from a video game. In this world, this would probably be a licensed video game of your fights."

Lucas nodded. He went over to his own icon and selected himself. I looked at the default characters. I didn't know which one to fight with. I decided that perhaps a mirror match would be best. I went over to Lucas' square and placed my cursor on it.

He stared at my icon confused. I was in an alternate color, one that looked like his twin brother Claus.

"I'm sorry Lucas." I quickly said moving to a different character. This time Pikachu.

"No, it's okay." Lucas said. He was beginning to cry. I just patted him on the back; it was the only way of comforting him I could think of. We played a few rounds, it took Lucas a while to learn the controls, but he was actually pretty decent. At times I was wondering if he was reading my mind in order to get in a few hits.

After a few matches Lucas began to yawn. I followed suit. "Don't do that." I said while yawning. "You have no idea how tired that makes me."

Lucas laughed. "Well, I think I'm done for tonight. You probably should get to sleep too."

"Yeah, it's been a rather long day for me." I laughed.

From his bag, Lucas pulled out some pajamas. He went into the washroom to change. I just quickly changed in the room to some pajama pants and what appeared to be a rather raggedy t-shirt. Lucas came out of the washroom wearing a pair of blue and white striped pajamas. I quickly went in and brushed my teeth. Lucas also followed suit. After I had finished, I collapsed on my bed.

Lucas followed. "Oh, no, you're not sleeping on my bed!" I said.

"Is it because I had an accident back when you were sleeping in Ness' room?" Lucas asked.

_Yes!_

"No!" I replied. "This is just my bed, it's for me and me only. Only Chocolate and I can sleep on the bed."

"Then where can I sleep?" Lucas asked.

"The floor." I suggested.

Lucas just looked at the floor. It was actually just a hardwood floor, there was no carpet. He tried to lie down, however it was uncomfortable. "I don't have a blanket." Lucas said.

I just threw the big comfy top cover to him. He lied there for a few minutes, doing his best to stay silent. However, it became apparent that he wasn't very comfortable and wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon. "Hey, Nugai." Lucas said.

I just cringed. I was so close to falling asleep. "What?"

"This floor is really uncomfortable, can I please sleep in that bed."

"No." I replied.

"Its cold and hard. I don't want to be down here."

"This is my bed, you're not getting it. I've had to suffer too much these past few days, I'm going to enjoy my nice, warm, comfy bed! And that's final!" I said. "I told you the only other person allowed on my bed is Chocolate!"

"But I was sitting on it when we were playing those games!"

"That's different, you're not sleeping in my bed!" I snapped. "If you do, you're going to regret it!"

I closed my eyes, and drifted to sleep, hoping that my message got across to Lucas, and that I would revisit that other dream.

* * *

**Worst typo this chapter: stripped instead of striped.  
**

**I have no idea if this actually means I'm going to have some semblance of a schedule and actually start updating again...  
**


	24. Day 23: Enemies in Friends

Day 23: Enemies in Friends

I awoke facing Lucas. He was on my bed, not underneath the covers; rather he just had the blanket I gave him wrapped around him. I guess after I fell asleep, he had snuck on my bed. I glared at the kid.

_If he pissed on my bed I'm going to kill him!_

However I didn't smell any urine. I used aura to see his current state. It was a calm aura; definitely one that didn't occur while one was having a nightmare. I got out of the bed, Lucas was clearly a heavy sleeper, all of the moving I did and he didn't budge.

I went over to the fridge to see if there was anything in it that I could use as a breakfast. There was nothing in there. Just alcohol.

I sighed and went into the washroom, and did my morning routine. Go to the washroom, take a shower, shave, brush teeth, comb hair. I got out of the washroom wearing new clean clothes. I glanced down at Lucas still sleeping.

"I told you were going to regret it." I sighed. I went to lift Lucas up, however I noticed that Chocolate was lying on top of him, glaring at me. He let out a hiss. "I told him he would regret it." My plan was going to be: fill tub full of water, and drop Lucas in tub.

Chocolate began to bat at my hands, I quickly withdrew them, knowing that he would pounce and bite them.

_Geeze, I'm being bullied by my cat..._

"Look Chocolate, I'm stuck in here until he wakes up." I sighed. "If the other Smashers see me out there with out someone looking after me, they will think I disposed of Lucas, and attack me or something."

"Don't be silly." Lucas said. "They wouldn't do that." I glanced down at the now conscious Lucas. He just seemed to smile. "See, I told you I wouldn't have an accident. Although... I'm a little stuck. Can you help unwrap me from this blanket?"

"You silly kid." I sighed.

I unwrapped Lucas from the blanket and he went into the washroom.

There was a knocking at the door. I went towards it and reluctantly opened it. Standing at the door was Ness and Toon Link. "Is Lucas up yet?" Toon Link asked. "We came to relieve him of his duties."

"So, which of you two were going to watch me next?" I questioned.

"Neither, we're just here for Lucas." Toon Link said.

I slammed the door on their faces. I sat down on my bed and tried to play the Wii for a few minutes. Eventually Lucas came out of the washroom, dressed in his standard yellow and red striped shirt. "I heard the door slam."

"Yeah." I said.

"Why?"

"Ness and Toon Link were there, they just wanted to take you away. And it seemed like they didn't care about who was going to watch over me..." I said.

There was another knocking at the door. Lucas went up to it and opened it; I quickly turned off the Wii. Standing there once again was Ness and Toon Link. "All right Luke!" Ness said, grabbing Lucas' wrist, "You're coming with us!"

"What?" Lucas said. "I'm not going to leave Nugai alone back here."

"He's too dangerous Lucas!"

"Come on, if he was going to kill me he would have done it last night!" Lucas protested. Ness just continued to pull on Lucas' wrist trying to pull him away. "Ness, let go of me!"

"This is for your own good Lucas! Come on Toon, help me out!"

Toon Link also grabbed Lucas' other wrist and began to pull him.

I was paralyzed in shock. Ness and Toon Link were going to rip off Lucas' arm if this continued. I didn't know what to do. Luckily, Chocolate did. He pounced right into Ness, with enough force to knock both him and Toon Link over. Both of them were in shock. With Chocolate on top of the two boys he began to hiss. They began to struggle to get back up. They flailed their arms and legs wildly, out of fear that Chocolate would attack them again. This wasn't good, as they were about to hit Chocolate with their swinging arms, Lucas however jumped in the way grabbing Chocolate, and protecting him. "Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, thanks Lu-" Ness didn't get to finish that sentence, as a stick narrowly missed his head. I was actually quite surprised. I didn't think Lucas had it in him.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Lucas snapped. "Are you okay, Chocolate?"

Chocolate just began to let out a purr. I had finally gotten the courage to walk over, and placed my hand on Lucas' shoulder. "Are you hurt?" I asked.

"I'll be fine." He said. "It'll just be a few bruises..."

"What did you do to him!" Ness shouted. "You brainwashed him, didn't you? He's going to turn against the Smashers!"

"You've been watching too many movies." I said. Could someone be this stupid? "Chocolate was just protecting Lucas. And when you freaked out, Lucas protected Chocolate. It's as simple as that."

Ness got up and rushed towards me. I was tackled to the ground and he began to punch me. I knew that I couldn't fight back. If I even threw a single punch, it would end badly. It would just be an engineered public confession about how I pretty much worked with the Reaper, even if it was in self-defense. I couldn't take the risk.

"Ness stop!" Both Toon Link and Lucas shouted. The two of them rushed over and tried to pull Ness off of me, but he put up quite the fight, even winding both of them. Seeing that Ness had hurt his two friends, I finally caught both of his fists.

"Ness, did anyone ever tell you that you hit like a girl?" I asked. "A proper punch requires your whole body, you have to aim past the person. It's no wonder you rely on psychic energy."

Ness broke free of my grip and readied another punch. However a shadow ball sent him flying off of me and into a wall. Mewtwo waved his hand and Ness floated in the air, unable to reach me. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Safe...

"Mewtwo, stop he's brainwashed Lucas!" Ness said.

"I saw the whole thing Ness." Mewtwo replied. "You're just being stupid!"

"Mewtwo!" Ness shouted out. "He's brainwashed you too!"

Mewtwo just let off a heavy sigh. "Ness, Ness, Ness, whatever shall we do with you?" He said. Mewtwo just glanced at me, and walked me into my room. He closed the door and then just faced me.

"Ness will watch over you today." Mewtwo calmly said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I questioned. "I mean, he just finished beating me up. What's stopping him from taking that baseball bat of his and smashing my head in?"

"Nothing."

_You didn't have to be so blunt..._

"But, don't worry, I'll be watching over you. Nothing will happen."

_You'll be watching from a distance, after my face is permanently rearranged so that my jaw is above my eyes, you will then intervene..._

He opened up the door, and we both walked out.

"Toon Link, take Lucas to see Doctor Mario. We'll see if Ness' paranoia about him being brainwashed is justified." Mewtwo said. Ness seemed to have a smug smile across his face. "Now, Ness, you're going to watch over him for the remainder of the day." That smug smile was punched right off of his face.

"What?" Ness said shocked.

"Did I stutter?" Mewtwo asked.

"No."

"Good, I hope I made myself clear." Mewtwo said. Toon Link, and Lucas began to walk off. Mewtwo just floated there for a few more seconds. "Ness, don't do anything stupid." he said before also walking away.

I walked back into my room. Even if Ness hit like a girl, it still hurt. "Get in here." I said.

He reluctantly followed. I doubted that it was because I said it, and more because he was clearly terrified of Mewtwo. I went into my medicine cabinet and pulled out some children's Tylenol. Every time I tried to swallow a pill, it resulted in me gagging, and in the worse cases, throwing up. I took some, making sure that Ness saw me taking them and threw the container to Ness.

"I know how much Mewtwo's attacks hurt. You're going to need them."

"I don't want your pity." Ness snapped.

"That's good, because I don't want your crap." I snapped back. I reached into the freezer and pulled out some ice packs throwing them at Ness, who caught them. "Now, why don't you tell me something, why do you hate me all of a sudden!"

"It should be obvious!"

"Is it because I was the mastermind behind the Reaper, is it because of Project Fantasia, is it because I was from the same world as the Reaper?" I wondered. "I thought you were one of the few who stood behind me at first."

"Yeah, at first!" Ness replied. "Then the Reaper had to kill the Manager! Then I overheard you talking to Lucas thinking that she was a bitch!"

_Well, if someone tortures you with electricity, I'd like to see you thinking them as anything less than a bitch..._

"You wanted the Reaper to kill the managers! And you took joy in it, didn't you?"

"No I didn't." I replied.

"What did you do to Lucas?" Ness asked. "What did you do to brainwash him?" I was getting sick of this. I went over to the TV and turned it on. "You can't ignore me! Answer my question."

_Since when was Ness this big of a dick?_

I turned on the Wii. "I did nothing." I sighed, as I grabbed a remote and went to the screen for Super Smash Bros Brawl. I started the game. As though it was driven by pure memory, I quickly opened the remote and pulled out one of the batteries to turn it off. I then grabbed a gamecube controller and sat down on my bed.

"Sit down and relax." I said. "It must be uncomfortable standing all day."

"I'm not going to drop my guard!" He snapped.

I just rolled my eyes, and focused my attention on the screen, occasionally glancing over to see that he hadn't readied a baseball bat to smash my head in. "Want to play?" I asked. I could tell he was currently like Lucas, in complete shock, and had about several hundred different thoughts going through his mind right now. I went to Classic mode to play. "This is all I did, I showed Lucas this."

"Where am I?" Ness questioned. "This is clearly a portion of the Smashers, but where am I? In fact, Mewtwo isn't on here either. And neither is Roy. Dr. Mario is absent."

"I haven't unlocked everybody." I replied.

_Jeeze... I've had the game for 22 days and I haven't even unlocked a single character. I am the worst gamer ever._

"So, do you want to play, or am I just going to go through Classic mode?"

Ness was confused. He stood there, looking like he wanted to say something. I just tossed him a controller. He caught it and fumbled for several seconds. I moved over and Ness sat on the bed. I went back and selected group instead.

Within a few matches, Ness had gotten hang of playing Smash Bros. He was much faster in learning than Lucas. He was actually surprised when I was challenged by him in the game, and quickly beat him to unlock him.

For the next few rounds he played as himself. Actually finding it a bit difficult. "Jeeze, what's with all of these limitations? My attacks can go farther than that!"

Ness seemed to have lowered his guard around me; it was as though he was suddenly comfortable being around me again. "You probably have a lot of questions right now." I said.

"Yeah, I just don't know what to ask."

"This is how we perceive your world in mine. We play video games, and you're characters in them. Every single one of you. When we were young, the Reaper and I, we discovered the ability to travel through the worlds. At the time, we thought it was just a game, that nothing we did would have any negative consequences. If my memories do return, I'd be shocked if I wasn't just as bad if not worse than him. And now, learning that all of you are alive, and that when we actually traveled into the games we traveled to an alternate universe where we could of killed hundreds, maybe even thousands, I'm terrified. Damn it. What the hell is wrong with me?"

Ness stared at me in shock. I think he wanted to get away from me, and grab his baseball bat. I wouldn't blame him.

"Tell me, have you played my game?" Ness asked. This question shocked me. I mean, I just admitted to killing thousands of people, and he only wants to know if I played his game?

"Yes." I replied.

"What is it like?" Ness wondered.

I ran over to a cupboard and began to rummage through some stuff. I then pulled out a small cartridge and put it in the bottom of the DS. Immediately I started up my copy of Mother 1 & 2. "I apologize that it's in Japanese." I laughed. "I, well, wanted to pay for a copy, and unfortunately, I didn't have an SNES."

"SNES?" Ness said confused.

"It's the system that your game originally came out on, this is a port." I explained. "Unfortunately this version was never released in English."

"English? Japanese?"

I had forgotten that it was actually some deep magic that allowed everyone to communicate in the same language here.

"They are languages back in my world." I replied.

I showed him the game, explaining about how the RPG worked, and then I explained the plot. He was actually rather shocked. "Then this is just a retelling of the time I fought Giygas." Ness said. "But how would someone from your world know about this?"

"I don't know." I said.

"What about Lucas' game?" Ness asked.

I pulled out the cartridge for Mother 3. "This game was only released in Japanese, so far. Although, people are hoping for an English version... Anyways, it's the sequel to your game."

I started a new game, and quickly named the characters. "So, that's Lucas' family?" Ness asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "His father, his mother, his brother, and his dog."

"They look happy together." Ness said.

I tried to stop myself from tearing up. "Yeah."

"It's such a shame that his mother and brother were killed." Ness said.

"When playing through it again, I wish I could change the events. I wish Lucas could still have his parents at the end of the game. But in many ways, it's because he doesn't have them that he is able to grow stronger, and he is able to grow up."

"This is so weird." Ness said. "People from your world know all the things that we did, but we're just some fictional characters to them."

"Yeah." I guess that would be weird.

"Nugai?"

"What?"

"Lucas seems to like you." Ness said. "Maybe he sees you as a big brother figure or something."

"He needs someone who will probably be more permanent in that job. He shouldn't get attached to me. My time is limited, unless I get back to my world, I will die. You know that right? I don't want him to feel that depression again. You should be his big brother figure..."

"So if you find a way to stay, would you?"

I paused.

_Would I?_

Part of me said yes. What I remembered about the other world, I didn't necessarily like. This place was much better for many reasons

The other part of me said I didn't belong here. I was just an outsider who could travel here by some chance, and that I was just using this place as a crutch to escape, and that I must return home, some way, some how.

"No, there is a natural order that must be followed. I have to leave." I eventually replied.

"If that's the case, why are you crying?" Ness asked.

I reached up, and there were indeed tears coming down from my eyes. "I guess I don't want to leave."

"I don't want you to leave either." Ness said. "I don't know why, but you seem so familiar. As though we had met before."

A jolt of pain went through my head.

* * *

It was about when I was ten, the winter of 1998, if I remember correctly.

It was a strange weekend. We had gone down to see some friends of the family during the Christmas break. They had a girl who was slightly older than me, she was like a cousin. She liked playing videogames, RPG's, and Zelda in particular. They had an SNES. She was currently playing through Super Mario RPG, and was in Nimbus Land.

I don't know how long it had been since I knew about my gift, the ability to travel into games, but here several new worlds had been opened up, ones that I could explore to my hearts content. "What other games do you have?" I asked.

She showed me a bunch of different cartridges. I don't know what drew me to the game. Was it the strategy guide behind it?

"What's this one?" I asked, my hand on EarthBound.

She took the cartridge and put it in the SNES. She quickly started up a new file. "Here, why don't you name them. You will name a boy, a girl, two more boys, a dog, your favorite food, and your favorite thing."

"Okay." I went to name the boy in the hat after myself. However, I felt completely embarrassed about that for some reason. Instead I went down to the 'Don't Care' option for all of them.

Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, King, Steak, Rockin.

The game began and she explained it to me. She guided me, and made sure that I was doing everything properly. Eventually, she went to the washroom. I breathed a sigh of releif. FINALLY, I could enter into the game world. I stretched out my hand and touched the TV. I was then sucked into the world.

Due to some experiments that I had done with the Reaper, we had learned a few things. The first, that there was definitely a time difference. Time would go by much faster in the game world, however our watches would continue to stay synchronized to our world, however only analogue watches. Digital watches didn't work for some reason. I looked at the watch. I figured I had about a minute. I explored the town of Onett. Unfortunately, I got too close to the Shark's hide out, the arcade.

They immediately attacked me.

I was afraid, and completely ignorant of the workings of this world. "This is the Shark's hide out!" A skate Punk said shredding towards me, however a baseball bat suddenly went over my head and right into the skate punk, knocking him down to the ground. The skate punk began to get up, "Are you picking a fight?"

I turned around to see Ness, he was certainly older than me, maybe by only a few years, and with that baseball bat holstered on his shoulder he looked so cool.

"Yeah, I guess I am!" Ness replied. He quickly knocked the Shark Member unconscious, and then looked at me. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I'm new. I just moved in!" I replied.

"Ah, I see. You must of heard about the arcade, and approached it, unfortunately, it's the hideout of the Shark gang." Ness said. "Well, unfortunately, this is about to get ugly, so I'm going to have to ask you to stand back."

I watched from a distance, and watched as Ness beat the Sharks out of the arcade. As he came out I rushed towards him. "That was so cool!" I said.

Ness just laughed. "Thanks."

"Well, I hope to see you around! Thank you for everything." I ran off, and quickly exited the world. I don't exactly remember how, but I did it...

* * *

"No, it must be your imagination." I laughed.

I wondered, how Ness remained looking the same age, while outside 9 years had passed. Going by some mathematical equation that the Reaper and I had thought up, (or rather, we used a timer on a digital watch while keeping a close eye on an analog watch,) we came to the conclusion that one hour inside was a minute outside. So a day inside would only be 24 minutes outside, ultimately meaning that forty days in here would only be 16 hours outside.

The point is it was a long time ago, and I was too lazy to do all of that math to find out how many hundreds of years had passed.

"I had this dream once." Ness replied. "This dream where I rescued some kid being attacked by the sharks."

"Dream?" I asked.

"Yeah, you know when you fall asleep."

"I know what a dream is you moron!" I snapped.

"I often have dreams, reliving various legs of my journey in the battle against Giygas." Ness laughed. "Sometimes though they are the same leg of the journey but, with small variations. For example, there was another one that I've had more recently, I got in over my head and too many Sharks attacked me at once however someone came in and saved me."

Another jolt of pain went through my head.

* * *

There was a time when I had obtained my games through a less than legal means... It was a few summers before I had a real job, and being tight for money, and believing that the original developers wouldn't profit, not to mention some rising amosity towards the used game market from developers, apparently, if you buy used, you're worse than murderers, the game was out of print for a couple of years, not to mention exceedingly rare... and my parent's wouldn't let me use their credit card... Yeah, the point is I emulated... let's move on to the actual point of this flashback.

I wanted to play EarthBound, and actually finish it. Perhaps thinking that I would be able to take on the sharks at a lower level I ran right in to the arcade under leveled. This didn't end well. Fearing for Ness' safety, I did the unthinkable, I reached out for the computer monitor. Normally, the screens I went through I was normally able to fit through, but, the computer monitor was actually really small, like a 10 inch screen. It was 2002! I can't remember if wide screen monitors existed back then! If they did, they were probably ungodly expensive! Once again, I didn't have a job, or a real source of disposable income. And quite frankly, I didn't care!

Somehow, I got through that small monitor. I don't know how, but I did it. I then repaid the favor that Ness did for me 4 years earlier. I reacted fast. Knocking out each of the Sharks, and making sure that they got away from Ness so that he wasn't hospitalized, or killed.

Ness got up off of the ground and immediately began to eat a hamburger that he had taken out of his knapsack. I tried my best to hold back the urge to throw up, since I knew that one came from a garbage can.

"Are you okay kid?" I asked.

"Yeah," Ness replied. "Thanks for saving me. Guess I rushed in here too quickly."

"Think nothing of it kid," I laughed.

"Kid!" Ness said, rather insulted. "I'm 12!"

"So, what?" I asked. "I'm 13. I'm older, you're a kid in my books." For those of you doing the math in your head, and wondering if I just screwed up, my birthday is late in the year.

I looked around the arcade, I recalled the last time I was in Onett, and how I didn't get to play anything. I quickly pulled out a few quarters and went over to a machine. It was a Donkey Kong machine. A quick glance around the arcade showed that all of the games were in fact Nintendo games. I put in the quarters, and tried to play a game. Unfortunately, Ness was staring at me, and it was really distracting.

"You really suck." Ness teased.

"Shut up." I snapped back. "I'm not used to having people watch me when I play videogames."

"Are you new here?" Ness wondered. "I haven't seen you around the town."

"It's a rather big town, I'm sure you wouldn't be able to recognize everyone." I said.

"You'd be surprised." Ness laughed.

"But, yeah, I'm new." I said.

"And you like video games, if I was sticking around Onett, I'm sure we could of been great friends."

"Why, where are you going?" I asked, trying to play dumb. Unfortunately, my acting was horrible. Fortunately, Ness didn't seem to notice.

"Well, I have to go save the world."

How would one normally react to that comment? I would normally assume that they would be shocked, or since it was just a kid who said it, brush it off as some sort of game they were playing. I think my reaction was appropriate. Laughter left my mouth.

"I'm telling the truth!" Ness said.

"Sure, I believe you." I laughed. I guess it was the way he said it that made it funny. I mean after all, I all ready knew he was the protagonist of the game, and that he would have to save the world. Maybe I didn't actually expect him to admit that he was going to save the world. "In fact, I'm going to go with you!"

Ness stared blankly at me. "You just laughed, you clearly don't believe me!" He pointed out. "And now you're saying that you want to come with me to save the world? Why would you do that?"

"Because, it might be fun." I replied.

"I nearly got hospitalized right now!" Ness protested.

"And I saved you, I can hold my own."

"Fine, what's your name?" Ness asked.

"********" I don't know why, but it was as though my mind did an automatic censorship beep.

"Well, *******, welcome to the group."

* * *

"Nugai, is something wrong?" Ness asked.

"I think so."

I didn't know if it was because of the amnesia that caused the censorship beep, but it was weird. Just hearing it suddenly coming out of your mouth.

Ness just sighed. He resumed playing the games. In the end, I think maybe this was a good thing. I too resumed and some more memories came back to me.

* * *

"So, Ness, what do you think will be next for video games?"

"Virtual Reality!" Ness replied.

I burst out laughing. I guess I always used to laugh when people talked about Virtual reality. Here they were, thinking that it would be something far out in the future, but here I was, experiencing it right now.

"What? Come on! It's possible!"

"It's a far way to go with our current technology, unless we steal it from Giygas." I pointed out. "I mean it's only what year?"

"199X" Ness replied.

199X? What kind of screwed up date was that. Its 2002 outside... or maybe this takes place in an alternate reality where Y2K actually destroyed everything, strangely including the Gregorian calendar?

"Fine, if you think you're so smart, what do you think will be next for videogames?"

"Motion controls." I replied.

"That will never catch on." Ness laughed. "Imagine how stupid you would look!"

Compared to sitting down and playing a video game...

* * *

"This game's winner is: Ness." The announcer said. I didn't recall the majority of that battle. What I could, I was being trashed.

"What's wrong?" Ness asked.

I could no longer hide it. "Some of my memories are coming back."

"Anything interesting?"

"I had a deep philosophical conversation about the future of the video game industry." I replied with a small exaggeration. "And I need to remember to tell an old friend that he was wrong and that motion controls were the next big thing in the video game industry."

"You need to have a more interesting flashback." Ness sighed. "What else does this machine do?"

I went to the menu. "Well, let's find out."

We went into the Mii Plaza. I went to a digital Mii which looked identical to me. I put the pointer on it, however, there seemed to be something strange. Suddenly part of the screen was pixilated. It was as though it was censoring something. I went to several other Mii's, each of them also had the strange pixilation. However there was a rather goofy looking one, a person in a yellow shirt with gray dreadlocks. Where the other Mii's were pixilated, this one had a name. "Mr. Kitten?" Ness asked.

I sincerely hope that I was drinking heavily when I made that Mii.

"Sure?" I said a bit confused.

We switched up several video games through out the day. Until we finally got sick and tired of them.

I turned off the Wii.

"So what else do you have here in this room?" Ness asked.

I went over to where I stored the gameboy advance cartridges, a small basket. I pulled out a Rubik's cube, and threw it at Ness. The pieces were all scrambled. I was absolutely horrible at those. I'd try to solve it, but I never could get anywhere. "What's the point of this?" Ness wondered.

"It's a puzzle, an evil puzzle, that you have to get all the sides matching." Ness just began to move the puzzle around. His attention was fully on the Rubik's cube. I just looked around the room a bit more.

"And done!" Ness said.

I looked back and stared in shock. I couldn't believe it. I just stared at the completed Rubik's cube. What Ness just did seriously pissed me off! "How did you do it?"

"I visualized it." Ness replied. "It was actually rather easy."

_How? Easy?_

I guess, being psychic required one to be able to solve Rubik's cubes easily.

"Well, since your stuck with me for the day, want to play some chess?"

Ness had a smile across his face. "Sure." He laughed. "And when I win, what are you going to bet?"

"Bet?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it's rather boring if you don't bet something." Ness said.

I glanced at the chessboard. I was rather confident in my abilities. Although I had no idea how good Ness was. "No idea." I replied. "How about, if I lose, I'll make you some food."

"Okay." Ness said. "And if you win, I'll do the same."

I made a mental note to watch no matter what Ness did so he couldn't poison it. I wasn't sure if he was still suspicious of me, and this whole thing was an act, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try…

The game began, and Ness was actually quite good. I began to think that maybe betting with him was a bad idea however…

Ness just glared at me rather frustrated. "Why can't I read your mind?"

I just smiled. "Mewtwo said that it's degraded, so you can't read it." I replied. "Sorry, but you're not going to win this game by cheating."

Yes, I think there was an actual way to win this! He didn't stand a chance!

Ness just looked even more frustrated than before. Being unable to tell what my next move was, I was quickly able to fight against him and beat him.

"And Checkmate." I said.

He just looked at the chessboard. "Play me again." He said.

"Maybe after some food." I said.

Ness just nodded. We walked down the kitchen. A few Smashers saw us coming but didn't say anything. When we got to the kitchen it was empty. Ness just looked in the fridge. "No leftovers." He sighed. "Well, okay then… Hmm… Actual food."

He began to go through the cupboards and eventually just got some instant noodles from them. I couldn't help but cringe. Here I was hoping that it would be a decent meal, but nope… Instant Noodles, the food of champions.

"I thought you said actual food." I said. This just earned a glare from him.

"And what do you suggest?" He wondered.

"I don't know, something that actually takes time and effort to make?" I said.

Ness just let off a big sigh. "Sorry, not from me today." Ness said.

And so I had to suffer through instant noodles. In no time at all we were back at my room playing more rounds of chess. This time, Ness was much stronger. It seemed like now that he knew that he couldn't read my mind, he was putting forth actual effort. He beat me in the second game.

"Interesting." I said. "Okay, let's go again!"

We spent the majority of the afternoon just playing chess. Constantly going back and forth. As far as I could tell we were both practically equal, sadly no other memories seemed to resurface for me.

Soon it was getting late. "Well, I guess I'm staying here." Ness sighed. "Where do I sleep?"

"The floor." I replied.

He just looked at the floor. He glanced back up at me. "You can-"

"I am serious." I replied. "Deal with it. Next problem?"

He just looked at me in disbelief. "But your bed is a queen sized."

"And it's all mine, I'm selfish, and I'm keeping the bed to myself." I said. "Now, shut up, and go to sleep on the ground."

"Do I at least get a blanket?"

I tossed the top cover to him. He just grabbed it and put it on the ground. "And a pillow?" he wondered.

I threw a spare pillow at him. Soon he went on the ground, and I fell asleep on the bed. Hopefully the message got through to him better than it did to Lucas.

* * *

**And… 3 days of updates in a row… geeze… must be the rapture or something…**

**And I now do own a copy of EarthBound, it's only the cartridge though… It was basically my Christmas gift to myself this year.  
**


	25. Day 24: Flee

Day 24: Flee

I woke up to the sound of water running. It took me a few minutes to get up and register everything. I looked down at the ground, where there was a blanket that just looked like it had been tossed aside, against the dresser.

It didn't take me long to realize that Ness was in the washroom, taking a shower.

_Damn kid better not take all of my hot water._

Soon the water stopped. Ness came out of the washroom, dressed in his normal clothes. Although his hair was still wet, and his hat was covering it.

"You're up." He said rather surprised.

"Yeah, I thought you abandoned me." I said.

"The thought had crossed my mind." He teased.

"Well, stay here while I do my morning routine."

I did just that… and the little snot had taken all of the hot water. I was out rather quickly in that case. He just had a devilish smile across his face. "Think of it as revenge." He said.

"I'll get you back…" I replied.

He just laughed. "Sure you will"

"Just watch your back!" I said.

"Is that a threat?" He said in a rather teasing voice.

"And what if it was?" I asked.

Ness just smiled. "So, we're going down for breakfast, right?"

"I guess so." I said.

Ness just nodded. "Especially since your fridge only seemed to have alcohol in it."

I just glanced back at him. I made a small mental note to check if any of the garbage bags had a bottle in it when I got back to the room.

We made our way down through the hallways. Passing several Smashers along the way. They didn't seem as though they were avoiding me today. I guessed because both Lucas and Ness were still alive, and there were no incidents they thought I really was on their side.

We got into the kitchen Bowser was sitting there reading the newspaper and drinking a coffee. He got up.

"I think you should see this." Bowser said, placing the paper on the table.

"What am I looking for?" I asked.

"You'll know when you see it." Bowser replied.

I just took the paper, and much to my horror, I did indeed know what he was talking about. All I had to do was look at the front page. There, front and centre was the remains of a city. The Reaper had attacked and destroyed an entire city.

I just cringed. He had to be stopped.

I found it hard to eat breakfast. I think I spent more time actually dissecting the food than actually eating it.

Ness glanced up at me. "Do you think I poisoned your food?"

"No, not at all, it's just, I just can't get the Reaper out of my head. He destroyed an entire city…" I replied.

"He's done it before." Ness sighed. "And he will keep on doing it. You saw that other city right?"

I nodded.

"There are several cities just like that out there, where the Reaper has destroyed them, and killed countless people." Ness said. It certainly was odd being lectured by someone much younger than me.

"Aren't the Smashers supposed to protect everyone?" I asked.

Ness just shook his head. "In these times, we're only a group of entertainers."

I just sat there, somehow managing to finish breakfast. "Ness, can you take me to where Mewtwo is?" I asked.

He just looked at me a bit confused. "Why?"

"There is something I need to do." I replied.

Ness closed his eyes for a few seconds. The next moment Mewtwo teleported down into the kitchen.

"This better be important." He said.

"Mewtwo, I need to complete my aura training."

"Your aura training is complete." Mewtwo said.

"That isn't what I meant." I said. "I need to awaken to my aura fully. I need full mastery if I'm going to beat the Reaper. There is an unlocking chamber here, right?"

Mewtwo looked at me a bit shocked. "How did you know that?"

"I didn't." I replied. "I just figured that the Smashers would have access to one."

He just remained silent. I was positive that he was debating about it in his head. If he gave me access to this, I would become much stronger, and if I stabbed them in the back it would fall on him.

"Mewtwo, please, I need to become stronger." I said.

"You could die." Mewtwo said. I knew it was a real possibility, since I read about it in that one book, but I couldn't help but think he said that to try and deter me.

"I understand the risks." I said. "I need to awaken my full power. One way or another."

Mewtwo just cringed. "Is there another way?" I didn't know if he was genuinely concerned about me, or if he was trying to stop me.

"This is my choice." I said. "I have to stop the Reaper, and if this is the only way, I'll do it this way. Any other ways will take far too long."

Mewtwo just nodded. "Then, perhaps your determination will let you live through it." He said. "Very well then, Ness, go to Master Hand and Crazy Hand. Tell them that Nugai is about to undergo Aura Mastery Training."

Ness just nodded. He then ran off. Mewtwo glanced at me.

We were both teleported into a dark room. I had no idea where it was, but something about it was scaring me. Mewtwo just waved his hand and hundreds of candles were suddenly lit with an eerie blue flame. "Where are we?" I asked.

"We're in a hidden room in the Smash Mansion." Mewtwo said. "This is the only way to get in, teleporting."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, we wouldn't want anyone accidentally walking into this room." Mewtwo replied. "It's just a safety precaution."

"Are there other rooms in the Smash Mansion that you can only get in by teleporting?"

Mewtwo was about to answer that however, Master and Crazy Hand suddenly teleported into the room. I figured they were looking at Mewtwo. "What's going on?" Master Hand asked.

"It's come to this." Mewtwo said. "Nugai, this will be the ultimate test of your aura mastery."

"What is this room?" I asked.

"We call it the room of darkness." Mewtwo said. "Go into the centre of that circle, and we will begin."

I walked over to the circle of candles. "Take off your shoes and socks." Mewtwo said.

I did so, and much to my surprise, I was standing on grass. "Take off your shirt as well."

I did. I just stood there. I could feel a faint wind. "Air, water, fire, earth, and the void." Mewtwo said. "These are the five elements that are in play in this room. Once this begins, it won't end until either you've mastered it or died. Do you know what you have to do?"

"No idea." I replied. "The books didn't describe what happened, only to pursue if death seemed like the better option."

Mewtwo closed his eyes. "I see." He said. "Tell me then, is death the better option?"

"No." I said. "But that will be the only option if I have to fight the Reaper in my current state."

Mewtwo nodded. "Well then Nugai, this is good bye."

The candles began to go out. "This is your last chance Nugai." Mewtwo said. "Step out of the circle before the darkness swallows you."

"I know what I must do." I said.

Soon all of the candles went out. I was surrounded by a void of darkness. No matter how long I stood there, my eyes couldn't get adjusted to the darkness. After several minutes, I noticed that I wasn't standing; I was floating in the darkness. I then noticed that the only light was coming from inside of me. It was as though I was glowing.

"So, after so long, another foolish person is trying to complete the ritual." A voice laughed.

I looked around rather afraid; trying to find the source of that voice, however there was nothing. I closed my eyes and tried to see with aura, however, there was nothing, I was just completely surrounded by a void of darkness.

"I can see it in you, fear." the voice said. "It will consume you. You will not leave here alive."

I tried to speak; however no words came out.

"In my presence, you can't even speak." The voice said. "Well, can you still scream?"

I was suddenly stabbed right through the chest with a sword. I tried to scream. Even though my mouth was open, no sound came out. "Maybe you just have a high pain tolerance."

I was stabbed twice more, this time in the palms of my hands. Only upon being stabbed could I actually see the swords. They also looked like they were absorbing all of my aura. My body went numb, and the pain seemed to vanish. My eyes felt heavy. I wanted to fall asleep... I was exhausted. I was tired. I wanted it all to end...

The pain came back. I screamed in silence once again. The swords had been removed, but now a new pain was going through out my body. I felt like something was burning various parts of my body, and slowly writing something across it. I looked down at my arms and legs, and writing was appearing everywhere. Each letter looked like a tiny fire.

Soon my whole body was covered in letters.

"You're still alive, I'm surprised." The voice laughed. "But I wonder for how much longer? It will only get worse from here."

Every letter began to burn brighter and brighter. Soon my whole body was covered in fire. I could feel my skin burning. Soon it stopped, if I wasn't floating, I would probably be on the ground writing in pain. Suddenly it became much harder to breath. I felt like there was much more pressure being applied to my body. It was like I was being crushed in the ocean.

Soon it ended, and floating in front of me was a young boy. "You've survived this long." He said. "Interesting. Most others had given up by this point. In here, in this void, minutes seem like hours. Hours seem like days, and days seem like years. Would you believe me if I told you that you endured, 3000 hours of torture all ready? Yet, only a minute has passed outside. But you can't speak. Your surprisingly resistant you know that."

"Who are you?" I managed to ask.

He seemed equally surprised by my question. "I am the embodiment of all of those who have studied aura. When you die, you will become a part of me. And you will die!"

He raised up his arm and sent a giant blast of aura down right on me. It exploded, I could feel my body being torn apart. I was now just floating there with only my upper body. I was terrified.

Suddenly my right hand was beginning to disappear. This scared me even more. Slowly from the tips of my fingers to my wrist it disappeared. When it reached my wrist it stopped.

"Look at you, pathetic." He said. "Just like everyone else."

I stretched out my left arm, to try and reach the kid. "Lucario." I weakly said. "Are you in there?"

"He is, and he's saddened that you are such an idiot and threw your life away." the kid said.

"Your training didn't go to waste. Your sacrifice won't be in vain." I said. My left hand sparked with energy, and a lance made out of aura suddenly appeared and stabbed the kid. He looked at me in shock.

"How can you do that?" He asked. "I thought I took away all your aura!" He had completely snapped. Aura began to explode out of his body. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" He shouted.

He blasted me with more and more aura attacks. Soon what remained of my body was just a head, and a good portion of the chest. My arms had been vaporized.

"I won't give up." I managed to say. "Not yet."

"How are you still alive?" He asked. He threw an aura spear right through my heart.

"I won't die." I repeated to myself.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He shouted again and again. Cutting up what remained of my body into a fine dust. And yet, I was somehow still alive.

I did not know how it was possible, or what happened, but I was still there, had I transformed into a spirit? I did not know. But my body no longer existed. "I see." I somehow said.

He looked around. "Where the hell are you?" He shouted.

"I think I now truly understand aura." I said. My body began to reform much to his horror. "Aura is your life force, so I can never truly die. To master aura is to master life itself. Those in your body couldn't understand it. To succeed, you have to die. By fighting death and trying to survive, you lose yourself, and are trapped in here."

I placed my hand on his head. He was looking at me terrified. I just ruffled his hair and smiled. "I guess I better go back now."

He just began to beg. "Don't go!" He cried. "Please don't go, I'll be all alone again for who knows how long! Please stop!"

I turned back. "What's your name kid?" I asked.

"I have no name." He said.

"That's not true." I said. "You're Ryu, aren't you?"

He looked at me rather shocked. "Ryu?" He said. "It sounds familiar."

I placed my hand on the ground. Suddenly all of the candles were lit up, and I was back in the room of darkness.

"So, you survived." Mewtwo said. "That's rather surprising."

"Why?" I asked.

"I just didn't think you had it in you." He said.

"It was easy." I lied.

Mewtwo just nodded several times. "Well then, I think you should be returned back to your room." He said.

We were teleported back into my bedroom. I had to quickly close my eyes, as the light was now blinding. As I got adjusted to the light I could only stare at myself in the mirror that was in front of me. I no longer looked like myself.

For starters my once brown hair was now white. There were also now several tattoos on my body. Around my left wrist seemed to be one of a bracelet. On my right bicep there was another one that just appeared to be a ball of fire. But what was perhaps the most surprising of all were the tattoos that were just lines across my body.

"What the?" I said looking at all of the tattoos.

"They are caused by aura." Mewtwo said. "If you don't use aura, they will disappear."

I closed my eyes and did my best to concentrate. I then opened my eyes and the tattoos were all gone. "Amazing." I said. My hair was also back to being brown.

"Now then," Mewtwo said. "I guess I should find another person to look after you."

"What?!" I said a bit confused.

"I have some things to do." Mewtwo said. We were teleported back to the main entrance. Several of the Smashers were in the living room watching TV. At the door was Sonic who was just getting ready to go out. "Ah! Sonic!" Mewtwo said. "I'm looking for someone to look after Nugai. Would you be interested?"

"Not really." Sonic said. Just glancing at me. "I've got places to be, and people to see." And with that he was out of the door, not even waiting for a counter argument.

"I figured as much." Mewtwo said.

"Then why did you bother asking?" I wondered.

Mewtwo just shrugged his shoulders. We walked into the living room. Wario, Bowser, Ganondorf, and Wolf were all watching TV. "I heard what you asked Sonic. Not a chance in hell!" Wolf said. "Everyone else is in agreement."

"You're just watching TV." Mewtwo said. "He can just watch it with you."

Wolf pulled out his blaster and just aimed it at Mewtwo. "Well then." Mewtwo sighed. "Let's go elsewhere."

I just followed along, I felt like I was a dog on a leash being dragged. I thought that going through the training and unlocking the final aura state would of proved that I was going to be loyal to the Smashers, but I guess Mewtwo didn't want to take any chances.

The next Smasher we met was Red. He was just walking down the hallways, sort of looking lost in thought. "Red." Mewtwo said. "Listen, can you look after Nugai?"

Red just glanced at me and then at Mewtwo. "I guess." He managed to say.

"Great!" Mewtwo said. "I'll see you later Nugai!" and with that he teleported away. I was just speechless.

"Um, so what do you want to do?" Red asked.

I just glanced at the kid. "I don't know." I said. For whatever reason it was only now that I began to notice that my body was actually hurting all over. I guess it was from the training finally catching up to me. "What were you doing before hand?"

"Nothing, just wandering and thinking about something." Red said.

"What were you thinking about?" I wondered.

"A nickname." He replied. "Well, a team name to be more accurate. Master Hand just said that marketing wanted a title or a team name to give to all of my Pokemon, since just 'Red the Pokemon Trainer' sounds incredibly generic."

"I see." I said. "How about we get the other kid Smashers, and try to brainstorm one up together in the clubhouse."

Red just looked at me in shock. "That's a great idea! Okay let's go!"

He began to run away, and I tried to follow. Suddenly my body began to scream out in pain. I stopped, and he glanced back to see me lagging behind. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"I just can't keep up with you young kids these days." I said trying my best to do a fake old man voice. He didn't exactly buy it. "Sorry, I just sprained my ankle earlier, and can't really run."

"Oh." Red said. "Well, in that case, I guess we'll go slowly."

Ness suddenly turned the corner. "Nugai!" Ness shouted. "Mewtwo told me that Red was looking after you now!"

"Yeah." Red said. "Um, Ness, can you gather all of the other kid Smashers to go into the hideout?"

Ness just nodded. He glanced back at Nugai. "Oh, Nugai, to get in, you need an item to prove that you're a member."

I just nodded. "Okay, I guess we'll stop by my room first." I said.

We walked slowly back to my room. My mind was constantly on the pain, and where it came from.

_I hope this isn't my body degrading again…_

I just hoped that it was only a side effect of the training.

We entered my room, and as the door closed, Red was the first to speak. "You didn't sprain your ankle, did you?" He said.

"How could you tell?" I asked.

"You weren't limping." Red said.

I just sighed. "Caught. My body was just in a bunch of pain when I tried to run." I said. "Anyways, what's something I can use as an entrance fee into this clubhouse."

I began to go through the cupboards looking for stuff. I soon found an old Game Boy Advance. The back plate that covered the batteries was missing and there were no batteries in it. I figured it would be good enough. My mind was telling me that I hadn't really used it for quite a while. I then saw a Pokemon Fire Red game box. "Fire Red?" I muttered to myself.

Red didn't hear me; he was just looking around the room at various different objects.

"Okay." I said. "I got the object to use as the entrance fee."

I showed him the Game Boy Advance. He just looked at it confused. "What is it?" He wondered.

"A toy." I said.

We walked out of the room, and for the first time I actually glanced to see if there was a game in the cartridge slot.

Golden Sun

We made our way outside, and into the secret base. After I got in, Ness just held out the box. "Place your item in."

I put the Game Boy Advance in. He looked at it for a few seconds. "Okay then." He said, hiding the box underneath the floorboards once again.

I looked around the clubhouse. All of the kid Smashers were there except for Nana. "Okay, so why did you call us all together, Red?"

Red just looked around, "Well, Master Hand said I needed a nickname for the network to use. Since he said I'd probably hate any nickname that they choose, I've been given a few days to come up with one that I would like."

They all just looked at Red. Each of them immediately began to get into a thinking pose. "Actually, can I release my Pokemon in here?" Red said.

Ness just nodded. "Sure."

And so Red just tapped his three Pokeballs. Out came a Charizard, Ivysaur, and a Squirtle. They just began to nuzzle up against Red. I stared at the Charizard for several moments, recalling that Pokemon Fire Red box.

_Fire Red… Fire Red…_

"I've got it!" Popo shouted. "The perfect nickname! Red the Pokemon Master!"

"No, no, no!" Red immediately began to say shaking his hands. "That sounds far too arrogant. And besides, I don't think I'm a master yet. I've always got a spot to improve upon."

The other kid Smashers just continued in deep thought.

"Geeze, how why does Red have to be so humble." Popo said out loud.

"Red and Company?"

"That sounds stupid."

They shot back and forth for several minutes. The suggestions getting much stranger. "Red, Destroyer of Worlds!"

Red was about to give up. "Maybe I should just accept what the network nicknames me." He said.

"Hey, Nugai has been rather silent." Toon Link pointed out.

All eyes were on me. I just looked at them a bit surprised. "What?!" I managed to stammer out.

"Don't you have any suggestions?" Ness wondered.

"How about Fire Red the Crimson Flame?" I said

There was silence. Everyone was glaring at me, as though I was crazy. I expected them to start saying that it was the stupidest nickname they had ever heard. Red however just smiled. "I like it." He said as he rubbed his Charizard's back. "Yes, I think that's a good name."

Everyone looked at Red like he was crazy.

"That's the stu-" Ness began, however Red just glared at him causing him to stop.

"I still like Red Destroyer of Worlds." Popo said. "Ah well, at least you get the choice to avoid what happened with us."

Red just nodded.

We continued to stay in the clubhouse for a while. Eventually the kid Smashers began to get hungry. We all got down for lunch. They found a giant frozen pizza in the freezer and just put that in. They then mostly dispersed for the time required.

I seemed to have been traded off, this time to Popo.

_Geeze, I'm some hot commodity…_

"So, Nugai." Popo said. "Where did you even think up of that name?"

"You mean Fire Red the Crimson Flame?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said.

"It just came mostly out of thin air." I replied.

"I see." He said. "Let's go somewhere before lunch."

He led me to the gym of the mansion. He immediately began to put a harness on himself. I glanced and saw a rock wall.

_Uh… don't you think you should ask for my thoughts before doing this?_

"Do you wanna rock climb?" Popo asked.

"Sure, I guess." I said. Looking up at the wall. He passed me a harness and began to help me put it on. Soon we were both climbing up the rock wall as 2 wireframes acted as spotters. As expected, Popo had a lot more experience than I did, and was at the top before I had even made it a quarter of the way.

My progress wasn't helped as my body began to hurt again. I must have been making faces or something, as Popo seemed to notice.

"What's wrong, Nugai?" He asked. "Are you afraid of heights?"

"No." I replied back. "My body has just started aching."

Popo dropped down and just looked at me. "Well, I'm no doctor, but it might be a good idea to not exert your body then."

I made my way down. Popo was constantly glancing at the clock. "Well," he said. "I think it's time to get back to the kitchen."

We walked through the hallways. He suddenly stopped in front of a washroom. He looked at me and then at the door. "I'll wait out here." I said.

"Thanks." He said. He looked down the hall. "Kirby!" he shouted. Kirby quickly just came rushing towards us. "Can you look after Nugai for a few seconds while I take a leak?"

Kirby just nodded.

Soon Popo went in. I looked at Kirby. A thought crossed my mind. If I made it out of here alive, I've only really spent time with a few Smashers. I barely even knew most of them beyond their names.

And then another thought crossed my mind. What does Kirby actually feel like? I just reached out and patted Kirby on the head. His eyes closed, and he had a smile on his face. He felt like… something… I couldn't really put my finger on it. Maybe it was like a marshmallow, but it had a lot more resistance, so a stale marshmallow? It wasn't quite like a rubber ball.

"So, Kirby do you ever talk?" I wondered.

"Yep, of course." He said.

I just nodded. "What exactly are you?"

"I'm a star warrior." He replied.

Before I could press further, Popo came out of the washroom. He just glanced at the two of us. "Okay, Nugai, let's go get lunch before it's gone."

He began to walk away, and I followed. The word lunch probably shouldn't have been used in front of Kirby, as now he was following us, kind of like a dog expecting to be fed food.

I think Popo realized his mistake soon after. He seemed to be muttering something to himself along the lines of "stupid, you stupid idiot!"

We got to the kitchen and several other Kid Smashers were there. As soon as they saw Kirby their eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no." Ness said.

The Pizza came out of the oven, and Ness quickly began to hand out plates, as he gave me one he whispered. "Take all the pieces that you're going to eat, you're only going to get one serving."

Several of the Smashers rushed for the pizza. They filled up their plates with 4 or 5 pieces, and quickly went to the table. When I had taken my 5 pieces, and there were about 7 slices left, Kirby went to it and began to stack the remaining pizza on a plate.

When everyone finished the Pizza they all glanced at me, trying to figure out who was going to watch after me next.

"Well Toon, I think through the process of elimination, you're next."

"What about Kirby!?" Toon Link asked.

"He watched over him all ready." Popo said.

Toon Link just cringed. "Fine." He said. "I'll watch over him."

And just like that I was shoved away, yet again.

_You guys really know how to make a guy feel wanted…_

Soon his look of annoyance faded, and it was suddenly covered with a devilish smile. I honestly didn't like the look of it. He glanced at me with a rather mischievous look. "Follow me." He said.

And so, I was forced to follow him. We went down into the basement to the item storage warehouse. I just looked at all of the items a bit surprised. He quickly began to grab several different items such as the smoke ball.

"This will be great." He laughed.

"Um… what are we doing?" I really didn't want to ask.

"We're going to play a few jokes on some people." Toon Link said.

I just cringed. I imagined that I would be there to take the fall, or just remain to carry the stuff.

"Okay, I think that's everything." Toon Link said.

I looked at the assortment of items that he had gotten. Some string, some smoke balls, some party balls. As expected, I was told to help him carry the stuff. We went out to the clubhouse. However, Toon Link stopped. He placed his index finger on his lips to tell me to be quiet. And then I heard why.

Inside Red and Ness were talking.

"Listen, can I ask you a serious question?" Red said.

I began to eavesdrop.

"Sure," Ness replied.

"It's about Nugai." Red said. "Do you think he's with the Reaper?"

"If he is, he sure has been working hard to make sure that we're all fooled." Ness said.

"What was with the sudden change of heart?" Red asked. "Weren't you one of the most vocal people who wanted to get rid of him?"

Toon Link suddenly realized that we shouldn't be listening into this. He tried to grab me, and pull me away, however I just stood firmly in place, actually shaking my arm to break his grip.

"I just remembered something else." Ness said. "Anyways, I do have a question for you."

"I guess it's only fair." Red sighed.

"Are you really going to go with 'Fire Red, the Crimson Flame?' Isn't that just a bit redundant?" Ness asked.

I could only imagine that Red was nodding in agreement. "Yes, perhaps, but you don't want to hear some of the nicknames that I've heard people give Pokemon."

"Try me." Ness said.

"Acooltent." Red said.

I had to hold back my laughter. I didn't know why, but I thought that was funny.

Ness however wasn't exactly having that much luck with piecing the parts together. "I don't get it." He said.

"Tent a cool." Red explained.

Ness however just continued to be dumbfounded. "I still don't get it."

"Never mind." Red sighed. "Still, I can't help but feel that Nugai was faking it…"

I glanced at the items. I reached for a Smoke ball to throw it in, and hopefully scare them a bit. Toon Link however grabbed my arm and used all of his strength to actually try and stop me from throwing it.

"Don't!" Toon Link said.

I just glared at him. "In return, I want a bunch of answers." I said.

Toon Link just began to look like a nervous wreck. He just looked down defeated. "Okay." He muttered.

"Oh crap." A voice said. We both looked up to see Ness and Red staring down at us. They were both actually terrified.

"How much of that did you hear?" Ness asked.

"Enough." I said. "Get back in there, I want some answers."

They just all nodded, and went into the clubhouse. I went in and Toon Link followed. There was just silence. They began to fidget, and I made sure to block the entrance so they couldn't run out.

"So, you don't trust me?" I said.

"They're just orders." Ness said.

I just looked down at the ground, almost completely defeated. "Just orders?" I questioned.

"We have to keep an eye on you, and report any suspicious activity to Master Hand." Red said. "It's not that we don't trust you, just all things considered, we don't know where your loyalty lies."

_That's kind of, sort of, the same thing…_

They were extremely clear about the whole if I even joked about joining the Reaper they would have to kill me part. It was just their complete lack of belief in where I stood in this battle that annoyed me to no end.

"You have my word, I won't betray you." I said.

"I think you should know how weak someone's word is." Ness said. "But, it doesn't matter, I believe you now."

"Why?" I asked.

"Just the games we played yesterday." Ness said. "It was while we were playing chess."

I looked at him confused. I didn't know what he meant. As far as I could remember, it was just several games of chess.

"And you Red?"

"I believe you now." Red said. Was that because of fear, or was he actually sincere? I didn't know. "Honestly, I'm expecting you to switch over to the Reapers side. You'll die unless he sends you back, right?"

I just nodded. "But, I'm sure I'll find another way back home." I said. "And once Palkia is free from his control, maybe Palkia will send me back."

"I hope for your sake." Red said.

I turned to Toon Link. "And what about you Toon?" I asked. "Do you trust me?"

Toon Link was just quiet. Ness and Red stared at him, hoping to force out an answer. "I believe in you." He eventually said.

"And why?" Ness wondered.

"We were in the item storage room earlier." Toon Link replied. "If he wanted to ditch me, and escape the mansion to join the Reaper, I gave him the perfect opportunity. He just had to get a cloaking device and then run. I doubt anyone would have caught him."

I was a bit in shock, that us going down there, and getting the materials for what I assumed was a prank was just a giant test. I was also wondering if this was also part of Toon Link's plan. That he always intended for us to overhear Red and Ness. Well, if it was, or if it wasn't, it worked.

The three of them felt like a load had been taken off of their shoulders. They all just fell back onto the ground and looked up at the ceiling. "So, what's next?" Red asked.

"No idea." Toon Link sighed. "Ness, did you restock the comics in here?"

"No." Ness sighed.

"Well, I need to check on something in the mansion." Toon Link said. "I'll be back."

He quickly ran out. Ness also got up. "There's something I need to get too." he said. "Red, can you watch over him for a few minutes?"

Red was a bit shocked. Eventually he just nodded. "Okay." He said.

Ness quickly rushed out of the clubhouse. I didn't quite know if Ness was being sincere or not. Ever since the ending of the aura training it had been much harder to read anyone's true intentions.

Which was especially strange since aura was what let me see everyone's intentions earlier. For the first time I realized that ever since I had finished the training, I hadn't been using aura at all. It had just stopped. Despite having complete mastery, I wasn't able to do anything. I stretched out my hand, but I couldn't even send out a small aura sphere.

_What's going on?!_

I don't think Red was actually paying attention to me. He was just constantly fidgeting in his seat, as though he was trying to say something. I just looked around the room. I was exhausted; maybe just maybe the aura being gone was because of fatigue. I wanted to lie down. I got up and walked over to a bench with several pillows and a blanket on it. I just lied on it.

"Um... Nugai..." he eventually said.

I looked at him, through a half closed eye. "What?" I asked, doing my best to try and fall asleep there. The bench was strangely inviting despite just being made out of wood. I didn't care that it wasn't comfortable. I just wanted to fall asleep.

"Nugai, thanks." Red said.

"For what?" I asked.

"The nickname."

I let off a sigh. "Oh, no problem."

"Despite what Ness and the others say, I think it's pretty cool. It appeals to my star Pokemon too, Charizard." Red said.

"Well, that's good." I said.

"Charmander was my first Pokemon." Red said.

I nodded. "Mine too."

He looked at me a bit confused. Truth be told, I was also a little confused. "What?"

"Forget I said anything." I said.

He laughed rather amused. "Okay."

I didn't know how that had slipped out. I was confident that it was because of my memories that were coming back.

"Listen, last night I had a dream."

"A dream?" I questioned, not exactly sure why he was telling me this.

"Yeah." Red said. "I was on the top of a snowy mountain, and just waiting, and waiting for someone to come to me."

"And?" I questioned.

"Someone did come." Red said. "He was about my age. But for some reason I think it was you."

"Oh?" I said. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Well, we just battled." Red said.

I nodded a few times. It didn't sound all that interesting. It was probably just the same old stuff to him. I adjusted one of the pillows, trying to make it fluffier. It wasn't exactly working.

I dozed off for what I thought was several minutes. However I was woken by Red. He just looked at me for several seconds. "Um, I think we should go back in."

I just nodded. Slowly we went back towards the Mansion. We got into the mansion and he immediately went into the kitchen. I just followed. "Eating all ready?" I said.

"You were asleep for a few hours." Red said.

I just looked at him surprised. I did feel rather energized. Still not as much as I normally do, but a bit better. He went into the fridge and looked at various items, occasionally glancing back at me. "Is there anything you want to eat?" He asked.

I looked around for a while. "Schwarma." I said.

Red just sighed. "We don't have any of that."

"Well, what do we have?" I wondered.

He looked in the fridge, and just seemed to rearrange some of the stuff. "There's a bunch of lettuce, and dressings, along with some vegetables."

"Okay, a salad then." I said.

He just nodded. Within a few minutes he had made a giant bowl of salad. When it was done, we just began to clean the dishes when there suddenly was a loud banging sound. The sound of shattering glass came from all around the mansion. Red and I just both looked at each other confused as to what that was. But soon a speaker began to blare.

"Code red! We are under attack by the Reaper, he has gotten through the barrier!" That was all it said before it suddenly switched over to a different voice.

"I've found you, Smashers!" He laughed. "You can't escape me!"

We quickly began to run, it didn't take long to find everyone gathering together in front of the basement stairs. Lucario was being restrained by belts and was being carried by several wireframes. I went through each of the Smashers and tried to do a head count. We were currently missing a few, the one I was the most focused on not being there was Toon Link.

Everyone was rather shocked. "How did he get here?" Mario asked.

"Brother, the barrier faced a power surge!" Crazy Hand said.

"Crap. Activate the last defences!" Master Hand said.

Suddenly the windows were covered by thick metal sheets. The doors were bolted shut. "Is that really going to stop the Reaper?" I asked.

"No, it will only stall him." Master Hand said. "We are all escaping down to the basement!"

I wanted to question how that would work, but I figured Master Hand must of had a plan, otherwise he wouldn't have gathered all of us here. We all weren't here... we were still missing Toon Link.

"What about Toon Link?" I asked.

Master Hand just clenched his fist. "I've contacted some wireframes to find him. They will protect him."

"What if they can't protect him?" I asked. The other Smashers were all looking at me. I'm sure plenty of them thought I led the Reaper to here, and was apart of this attack.

"He will be fine." Master Hand said.

I couldn't allow another Lucario to happen. I couldn't go through all of that again! I just bolted through the mansion, hoping to find Toon Link as quickly as possible. The other Kid Smashers were also with me, or were trying to tackle me to the ground to stop me. "Nugai!" Red shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"We have to find Toon Link!" I said.

"He'll be fine!" Ness said. "Just get down into the basement!"

"No, he won't!" I snapped. "I can't let anyone else die!"

_I won't let the Status Quo make anyone forget about their friends. Not again!_

They all nodded. "Okay, let's find him." Ness said.

"Wait, you're just letting me do this just like that?" I said confused.

"Well, we might as well." Ness sighed. "We kind of are now a good distance between them."

It didn't take long to find Toon Link. He was running towards us, looking for where everyone had gone. We were now in what appeared to be one of the many studies in the mansion. Just fairly large room built with several bookshelves, some windows, a desk, and some comfy chairs.

"What's going on?" Toon Link asked.

"The Reaper is attacking!" I said.

Perhaps as if he was on cue, The Reaper suddenly cut through a wall and flew towards us. I activated my beam sword and it clashed with his scythe. The kid Smashers were all staring at me like I was crazy. "Back me up!" I shouted.

"Nugai, I think it's time I stopped holding back on you." The Reaper said. I was suddenly pushed back by some unknown and inhuman strength. I just fell onto the ground and Lucas, Ness, Red and Popo quickly rushed to my side. The Reaper began to spin his scythe; suddenly he stopped and just held it in front of himself. The black blade suddenly began to glow with a white energy. The energy grew much bigger, and made the scythe double sided. Worst of all, it now made the top half a blade, as opposed to just the bottom half.

I reached into my pocket. All that there was several smoke balls that I had put in my pockets when Toon Link asked me to carry them. I was rather surprised that they hadn't actually gone off yet. I pulled all of them out. "Can you promise me that you guys will escape?" I asked.

"Not without you." Ness said.

"Well, they are loyal to you." The Reaper said. "That must be a first. How does it feel to actually have people like you enough to die for you?"

I doubted it was that, and just more of a chance to make sure that the previous fight wasn't an act, and once they fled I wasn't just going to defect to his side.

"Get going!" I said. "I can take him on. My awakened aura state should be able to do it."

They just stayed by my side. Not flinching, or moving.

"Awakened aura state?" The Reaper laughed. "Really Nugai? You believe that something like that will be able to turn the tide of the battle?"

I struggled to get up. I clenched my fist and concentrated as hard as I could. The aura tattoos appeared on my body and my hair began to turn white. It was a far cry from a full transformation, but it was at least a start. I looked at the Reaper.

"This is my awakened state!" I said. "Prepare to meet your end!"

I ran for him however he just swung his scythe. I blocked it with my beam sword, but I was still tossed back. As soon as I hit the wall, I lost my awakened state. He just sighed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He asked.

Almost everywhere there was now a giant gash. On the ceiling, on the floor, and on the wall behind me. It was as though he had sent a blade of air along with the attack just now. At most there was a light scratch on my clothes. I guessed my awakened aura state protected me enough from the attack.

"You're far too dangerous, Nugai." The Reaper said. "To believe that you had also entered the awakened state of aura."

_Also? Wait then..._

"You can also use aura?" I said shocked.

"I've underestimated you, little brother." He replied dodging my question. He just clenched his fist and suddenly there was a burst of aura. "But, let me show you what true aura mastery looks like!" His hair began to go white. No tattoos appeared on his body, but he was definitely much stronger. The scythe's energy blades grew much bigger. It was now apparent that there was nowhere in the room that he couldn't reach.

I just was frustrated.

_Why? Why was my energy drained? Why haven't I been able to access aura at all!?_

Ness cast a shield of PSI energy, however it was quickly cut through by the blade.

_Why can the Reaper control aura as well? No, wait; I should have seen this coming! Lucario said about him using aura to cut through his aura. Crap..._

"So, Nugai, which of the Smashers do you want to see die first?" The Reaper asked. "Maybe Lucas? I could rebuild him into a cyborg to attack and kill the remaining Smashers!" he laughed.

Lucas just seemed to shake. It also looked like he was trying to hold back some tears.

"Or what about Toon Link? I could send his body chopped up into tiny little bits and mail them to all his friends. Melody, Tetra, and we can't forget his grandmother." The Reaper said.

Toon Link just began to try and reach for his bow and arrow.

"Or what about Ness?" The Reaper said. "Beat him to death with his own baseball bat?

Ness' fingers began to spark.

"I guess there is always Red." The Reaper said. "How about putting him in a pit of savage Pokemont to be torn apart."

Red reached for a Pokeball.

"And how could I forget Popo." The Reaper laughed. "I could put an ice axe in his body, and have his mangled corpse nailed to a mountain!"

"You're morbid!" I said.

"Now, choose someone to die Nugai!" The Reaper laughed. "Choose who dies, and who gets to fall into despair."

I looked at all of the Smashers.

_Someone has to die?_

"What's wrong? You can't decide? Why, don't you have any grudges? Didn't they talk about you behind your back? Didn't they not trust you?" The Reaper asked.

_How did he know about that?_

I just struggled to get back up. I used the beam sword as a cane and slowly began to walk forwards.

"Well tell you what, I'll spare all of them if you join me!" The Reaper said.

"No, I decided who is going to die." I said.

All of the Smashers' eyes just opened in shock. "What!" Ness shouted.

The Reaper was also clearly shocked, he wasn't expecting me to give one of them up. But then again I didn't plan on having one of the Smashers die.

I just stretched out my arms. "I'll die."

The Reaper looked at me shocked. "What?!"

"You told me to choose who dies." I replied. "I choose myself! If only I die, and the other Smashers are let go, then I think it's worth it!"

"Well, if that's your choice, then prepare to die!" The Reaper said. "I see no reason to not kill you now, after all, I'll still get what I want!"

He pulled back the scythe. "Just one clean cut across my neck." I said.

The Reaper smiled. "It's the least I can do for a friend." he said.

I closed my eyes. I was a coward right until the very end.

I felt a gust of wind across my neck and then heard all of the Kid Smashers scream out in horror.

And yet, I didn't feel any pain.

_So, this is death._

Their screams didn't stop. "NUGAI!" Lucas cried out. His voice was becoming a sob. Several of the other kid Smashers were also beginning to cry.

_I'm sorry, that you had to see this…_

It was strange, I was more in tune with everything then when I was using aura. I guess it was just a sixth sense thing.

"What the hell is going on!?" I heard the Reaper say. I suddenly felt several more gusts of wind against various parts of my body. Somehow I just opened my eyes, and found myself okay. The Reaper's scythe on the other hand it had looked like something had eaten through the aura blades. He swung it once again, this time I kept my eyes open and saw that as the aura blades hit me, that they just seemed to completely disappear.

"I'm still alive?" I said confused. Beyond that I actually felt energized. He sent the scythe towards me one more time, this time trying to stab me with the aura blades. The aura blade hit me, but it never went through me. I quickly reached out and touched a portion of the aura blade. As soon as I touched it, it disappeared.

Or to be more accurate, as soon as I touched it, I absorbed it.

The other Smashers were just staring at me shocked. I kept on touching different parts of the aura blade. Reconfirming what had just happened. Now it had tons of little holes in it. I glanced back at the other Smashers. They just seemed mostly relived that I was okay.

"What's going on?!" The Reaper shouted. "Tell me!?"

A smile just crossed my face. "Why don't I tell you, you fake!"

I began to run for the Reaper. He kept swinging at me with his aura blade; however, each and every time it touched me the aura was just absorbed into my body. I put some of the aura that I had absorbed into my legs to make me faster. To him it must have been like I had suddenly disappeared, and was now in front of him and out of the range of his scythe. I just pulled back my fist and delivered the strongest punch I could muster directly to his face.

He fell back onto the ground and just looked at me frustrated. He had let go of his scythe and I caught it. Instantly all of the aura was absorbed into my body.

"You don't have aura mastery." I said. "You cheated to obtain the power over aura that you do have. You've made a mockery of aura. You know absolutely nothing of how it works, and what it can do! Lucario was wrong. You never used the opposite aura or anything. You just used an overpowering destructive aura!"

His hand was on his face. He just looked upset. "You know that's a foul." He said. "You can't punch someone's face, you can only kick them."

"You want to talk about rules now?" I said rather disgusted. "How does it look now that the tables have been turned?"

The Reaper just sighed. "You know, the only reason you even hit me was because I let you hit me." He said getting up off of the ground. "If I wanted to that attack could of just go right through me."

The next thing I knew I was sent flying and crashed into the wall. The Reaper had just suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of me. "What?"

"Even if my mastery of aura is fake, I still have plenty of other powers, Nugai." He had two red chains wrapped around his wrists.

"Dialga and Palkia." I muttered. "You just stole their powers."

"And their stolen powers is more than a match for you. Grovel, Nugai." He laughed. "So what? You just absorb aura, there's an easy way to avoid that, I don't use aura."

I gritted my teeth. He just laughed, enjoying it. He picked up his scythe. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. I hoped that the aura I had absorbed was enough. Soon the tattoos appeared on my body, and my hair became white. I just looked at him. I grabbed the beam sword and rushed for him.

"REAPER!" I shouted.

The beam sword and scythe clashed. He was actually surprised by my strength. "I won't grovel. I will not bow before you! I'll end this!"

"You can't!" The Reaper laughed.

And then, as we were clashing our weapons together, I turned off the beam sword for a second, and the turned it back on a moment later. I was now inside his range of using the scythe, and I cut away part of his cloak. It didn't take long for him to just send me flying, but for a brief second, I noticed something around his neck that had been concealed by his cloak earlier. It was a Smash Pendant.

"A smash-" I realized that I was talking out loud, and quickly stopped myself, but The Reaper realized what I had seen.

"You caught me off guard!" The Reaper said.

My mind was racing. Any concentration I did have vanished. One of the Smashers let him into here. I tried to get up to fight again, but unfortunately, all of the absorbed aura had been used up. My body was having great difficulty to stand. Lucas suddenly jumped between us. He put his hand on the ground and suddenly pillars of earth began to shoot up. I just fell forwards, but Ness and Popo grabbed me. "We're getting out of here." Ness said.

"Okay." I weakly said. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I was going to be able to fight another round right now with The Reaper anyways. My vision was beginning to go blurry.

Lucas kept on doing several PK Grounds, and Popo was summoning an iceberg. I was half expecting the Reaper to go through concrete matter using Palkia's power, but for some reason he didn't.

_Why isn't he chasing after us?_

We managed to get back into another room where Master Hand was waiting. "What happened?" He asked.

"Nugai held him off for a few minutes." Ness said.

"Well, get down into the basement." Master Hand ordered.

They began to carry me down the stairs. Soon it looked like a dead end. However Ness and Popo began to carry me towards a wall. Lucas and Toon Link just followed. The Reaper suddenly cut through the ceiling and landed in the room.

"Go!" Master Hand ordered.

Him and Crazy Hand quickly rushed for the Reaper.

Quickly Ness and Popo took me through a sliding door. There were several wireframes that came to help us. They quickly put me on a stretcher. We got into a rather big room that was full of the Smashers. Master Hand and Crazy Hand were then knocked through the fake wall and sent into the room. The Reaper followed.

Several wire frames just rushed to stop him. But it was a fruitless effort. They were quickly cut through.

It was now I realized that we were trapped. He looked around the room with all of the Smashers. His eyes then fixed on Lucario.

"You've all ready got a replacement." He laughed. "Should I kill this one too?"

Master Hand and Crazy Hand however rushed right for the Reaper. "You will not kill any more Smashers!" They shouted, pushing him away. As soon as they left the room, the door shut and it suddenly felt like we were moving. It felt like we were falling.

And then the feeling of falling stopped. I looked around at the other Smashers, I then noticed that we were all in here.

"What just happened?!" Sonic shouted confused.

"They sealed us in this room, and separated it from the mansion." Mewtwo explained. "We're now safe from the Reaper for the time being."

"Can Master Hand and Crazy Hand win against him?" Toon Link asked.

"I don't know." Mewtwo said. "They might just try to get him away from here."

We all waited in silence. Each of us migrated to a different area in the room, and tried to keep ourselves occupied.

"This is so boring!" Sonic shouted, as he ran around the room. "Can something happen?"

Princess Zelda went over to a cupboard and began to pull out some blankets. Now that I thought about it, the room was also cold. I went over and took a blanket from the cupboard. It was nothing special, just a grey blanket, which happened to have a hole in the middle so you could wear it like cloak.

Others followed suit. There was also a mini refrigerator with some drinks inside. We took some bottled water, and poured it in a kettle and eventually had either our choice of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.

"This is just getting scary." Ness said. "I hope Master Hand is okay."

"He'll be fine." Mario said. "Against the Reaper, I'd be more sorry for the Reaper."

"Especially since Crazy Hand is there." Bowser laughed.

"But what were they talking about with the replacement?" Lucas asked.

I looked at them rather shocked. "I don't know." Ness said.

"Lucario," I said. "He was talking about Lucario."

"But who was he replacing?"

I was devastated; they didn't remember Lucario who sacrificed his life. I just curled into a ball, buried my face in my knees and began to cry.

_This isn't right. Damn this status quo!_

"What's wrong is Nugai afraid?" Ganondorf taunted.

I looked up at Ganondorf. If looks could kill, well Ganondorf would have been blown to pieces. He suddenly backed away afraid.

"Are you okay?" Popo asked.

"No. I've got some stomach pains." I lied.

"Do we have any aspirin down here?" Popo asked.

Princess Peach went looking into the cupboards. However, there was none to be found. A lot of the Smashers seemed to be interested in searching for the aspirin; I guessed it was at least a distraction that they could use to keep their mind off of the current situation. Not even Dr. Mario had any on him.

"I'll deal with it." I sighed. Deep down I feared that this was going to be my fate. That the moment I disappeared, the Status Quo would kick in and they would forget about me. "Damn it. It shouldn't be like this."

My mind began to wander. That battle I just had with the Reaper. Despite having Dialga's and Palkia's powers he wasn't abusing them like I thought he would. I just began to draw something on the dust in the floor. It wasn't anything too good. It was just a stick figure wielding a scythe.

_Theoretically, none of us should of been even able to touch him. Between using Dialga's power to slow us down, or Palkia's power making himself intangible. An attack should never be able to land on him. _

I drew a circle around the stick figure. The punch I had landed on him, he definitely wasn't expecting, same with the attack where I quickly turned the beam sword on and off. If he had plenty of warning, or could see the attack coming a mile a way, then he could just dodge. So, the close combat was probably the best method of attack with him. And then I would have to get past his scythe.

There was also him not chasing after us immediately after we set up the barrier. He should have been able to effortlessly pass through it, and yet he didn't. And then again, with Master Hand and Crazy Hand knocking him out of the room so we could escape. If he just made it so that they went through him, the two hands would have been out of the picture, and we would of been slaughtered.

Then there was the other thing that didn't add up. If he had a Smash necklace and could pass through the barrier, why did he destroy it?

I looked around the room, all the Smashers were present. That also had to include the mole. A thought crossed my mind. What if the Reaper destroyed the barrier not to let himself in but to let the mole in? I pulled out my smash necklace and fiddled with it for a few seconds. "Show me the person who doesn't have a Smash Necklace in this room." I said.

However it didn't point to anyone. The flame just floated inside the gem.

"You look like you've been in deep thought for a while? What's the matter?" Ness asked.

"I've just been going through a few things that I learned in the battle." I replied. "Ness, can you get Mewtwo?"

Ness just nodded. He rushed over to Mewtwo and a moment later Mewtwo floated over to me. "What is it, Nugai?"

"Mewtwo, can I ask you to order all of the Smashers to pull out their Smash necklace?" I wondered.

"Why?" Mewtwo asked.

"Before I tell you can you pull yours out and show me? You too Ness."

They both looked at me rather confused. Ness just pulled his out of his pocket, while Mewtwo just had his tail come in front of him. He pointed to back of the tail, where there was a string wrapped around it, along with a smash pendant.

I nodded, and pointed at my rather crude drawing of the Reaper. "When we were fighting, I was able to do some damage to his clothing and I saw a Smash Pendant around him." I said. "I think whoever is here without the Smash Pendant is the mole. He only destroyed the barrier to let the mole in."

"Then why didn't he give back the Smash Pendant after breaking the barrier?" Mewtwo wondered.

"I think it's because he couldn't. He knew that as soon as he broke the barrier the defences would activate trapping the mole out of the mansion." I replied. "The Mole had to have been in the mansion somehow, without the Smash Pendant."

Mewtwo just nodded. "Well then, I'll see what I can do."

He teleported on top of a table. "Excuse me." He said, his voice filling the room. "I'd just like to make a quick little check that none of us are somehow the Reaper in disguise. Can you just pull out your Smash Pendants so we can confirm that we are all who we say we are?"

Everyone looked around confused. They began to grab where their Smash Pendant was. For Donkey Kong it was behind his tie. For Peach and Zelda they wore it around their neck. Sonic reached into one of his gloves to pull it out, Pikachu just pulled it out from underneath his fur. Soon everyone had a Smash Pendant out.

Mewtwo just held his Smash Pendent in front of him. It floated and suddenly all of the Smash Pendants were projecting something. I looked at the one in front of me. It was just a small ID card.

Mewtwo looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, then, thank you." He said.

Everyone just nodded, and put their Smash Pendants away. Mewtwo teleported back to us. Ness looked a little worried. "It didn't do anything." I said disappointed.

"No, not really." Mewtwo said. "It confirmed that the Reaper had to have returned the pendant to the mole somehow."

"Were we the last ones in?" I wondered.

Mewtwo just nodded. "Yes."

"And everyone else?"

"They all came in this room immediately, when you separated from the group to find Toon Link, and the other kids followed, that was when the last batch of Smashers arrived. We were waiting for you the whole time."

"We were fighting the Reaper for most of that time." I said.

I didn't want to think that one of the Kid Smashers was the mole. And with everyone being in the room and waiting for us, there was no chance that the Reaper was waiting behind to meet with the mole.

I just looked rather frustrated at the ground. "What's next?" I wondered.

"That's your choice." Mewtwo said. "I'd be careful before you accuse anyone though."

"Mewtwo, do you know who the mole is?" I asked.

Mewtwo just glanced back at me. "Just watch your back Nugai," he said.

I glanced at Ness and then back at Mewtwo. I just figured the best thing to do was bounce off more ideas off of Ness, and he might be able to say something that could lead to a breakthrough. "So, what were those ID cards?" I wondered.

"They were just that." Ness replied. "ID Cards. If someone who didn't have their own pendant was holding it, it wouldn't activate."

"So, Mewtwo was just able to get everyone to show their smash pendant." I said.

"Well, if the Reaper was disguised as one of us, it would have been given away instantly." Ness said.

"But we saw him get knocked away by Master and Crazy Hand." I replied. "How would he still be in the room?"

"He told you during that fight." Ness said. "He let you hit him."

I felt so stupid. He could of used Dialga and Palkia's power to avoid the attack. Or maybe he did and just switched places with someone. That was what Mewtwo was trying to check out. "Okay, so for right now, besides the mole we were safe. The Mole won't do anything to attack us, because we most likely outnumber him or her." I said.

Ness just nodded.

"So, the Reaper needed to enter the barrier, so he had a Smash Pendant, meanwhile, the mole didn't. I think the reason he came into this room, wasn't to attack us, but to return the pendant to the mole." I said.

"I think that's fair. Once he did that, he let himself get attacked by Master and Crazy Hand." Ness said.

"Then the question remains how did the mole get into the mansion without a pendant?" I wondered.

"It's not the first time it's happened though." Ness pointed out. "There was Lucario."

Ness was right, they hadn't given Lucario the Smasher Necklace until he was in the hospital wing recovering. How did he get through the barrier? I wanted to ask him, but A I doubted he wanted to talk to me, and B even if he did want to talk to me I doubted that he would even know what I was talking about.

"Okay, so why would a barrier let Lucario in, even though he wasn't a Smasher yet?" I questioned.

"I don't know." Ness replied.

I however did. It was the Status Quo. Making sure that Lucario did become a Smasher to replace the one that had died. That was the only explanation that I could think of. Yet I couldn't say that it was a replacement in this case.

"Then let's focus on something else. How could someone, who didn't have a key, get into a locked room?" I said.

Ness just shrugged. "Why don't we ask someone else?" He said. "Maybe they have an perspective that will open things up."

I looked around the room. The only other ones that I was completely positive wasn't the Reaper's Mole were the kid Smashers, and Snake. I figured Snake was probably the best bet. I decided to walk up to him.

"Snake, I have a question." I said. "Or rather a riddle."

Snake just glanced at me. "About what?"

"Well, Ness just asked me this to try and pass time." I lied. I didn't want to risk anything in case the Mole was listening in."

"Okay, shoot." Snake said.

"There is this room, it only has one entrance. And every person that enters it needs a key. However someone who doesn't have a key enters." I said. "How did he enter?"

Snake just looked at me like I was stupid. "Someone else let him in."

"But someone else couldn't of let him in." I said.

"Why not?" Snake asked.

"Let's say instead of a door, the only entrance into this room was just an opening." I said. "But as you went through the opening you were scanned by a machine. If you don't have the key on you, the security measures occur and force the person out."

Snake just looked at me. "Then, how about the person never left the room, he just threw his key out of the room for some reason."

I stared at him for several seconds. "Thank you Snake." I said. I walked away thinking it over. If the barrier only let them in, but didn't check once they were in, could they just throw out the Smash Pendant and go back in to the Mansion. I returned to Ness.

"And?"

"Snake thought about just throwing the key outside while you were still in the room." I said.

Ness glanced at me a bit confused. "Sorry, it's the analogy that I came up with, but I don't know the barrier's powers, would that even work?"

"If the barrier's only purpose was to only let people in with the key, that would be all that it could do." Ness said. "That's how it works with the Club House, the barrier around that only lets people who have paid their entrance fee, or people we have invited in."

"Has anyone ever dropped their entrance fee outside of the club house?" I wondered.

Ness just looked a bit confused. "I don't think so." He said.

"If we get out of here, I'd like to test it." I said.

Ness just nodded. "Well, we can't confirm or deny that right now. So, I guess we have to wait."

I nodded, and we separated. I observed the other Smashers to the best of my ability, hoping that the Mole would give some clue to his identity.

_This would be so much easier if Mewtwo just came out and said who the mole is…_

Time passed, and Master and Crazy Hand teleported into the room. Master hand had gathered all of the Smashers together from around the room.

"It is now too dangerous to stay at the Smash Manson. The Reaper has been chased away this time, but he will attack again. For this reason, we are moving to another place. Where an old friend can protect us."

"And who is this old friend?" I asked.

"His name is Mayor Tortimer."

In the back of my head the name sounded familiar.

"And the place is known as Smashville."

That place also sounded familiar. The room that they were in suddenly reattached itself to the rest of the Smash Mansion. We were then all sent to gather up our stuff. Master Hand had given us a strange cube that somehow sucked up everything in our rooms.

We were then given 30 more minutes to go around the mansion and find anything that was still in one piece and see if we wanted to take it. The place was a wreck. Everything that remained had at least a scratch on it. I just looked at an old grandfather clock in the foyer that hadn't been claimed. I just put the cube on it, and it was instantly compressed.

Ness found me and we walked outside to the clubhouse. We both nodded and climbed up.

The clubhouse was perfectly fine. The barrier looked like it held up. While other trees had been uprooted or had their branches cut. Though if one looked at the trees it would quickly become apparent where the barrier spread. We just went up into the club house.

"Okay, we'll try with you." Ness said.

I nodded. He took out the Game Boy Advanced and just dropped it out of the window. Part of me just cringed. "Couldn't we of just placed it on the ground?" I said with gritted teeth.

He glanced at me and shrugged his head. "What's done is done, besides, we don't have very much time." Ness said. "Now let's test it, can you get out of the magic barrier."

I nodded and just went out of the clubhouse, and down the tree. Soon I was out of the magic barrier.

"Okay, can you come back in?" Ness shouted.

I climbed up the tree effortlessly until I was back in the clubhouse. Ness just looked a bit confused. "Why could you come back in?"

"It's the other condition." I said. "You're practically inviting me in. Or maybe just because the magic still recognizes the item as my payment to be in the club."

Ness just thought about it for a few seconds. "Okay, let's try that then." He said. "Your payment has been revoked, get out of the clubhouse! Now!"

I nodded and climbed down the tree. The barrier didn't stop me from leaving. I then tried to climb up the tree. I suddenly just felt the barrier. It was solid wall; no matter what I did I couldn't even go through it.

A few moments later Ness jumped down from the tree and looked at me. "Okay, so it looks like you can still get out," he said. "So, what do you think this means?"

"That someone brought the Reaper to the barrier, threw his smash pendant out of the barrier, and then entered the mansion, and hasn't left since." I replied.

"Okay, grab the item, and then come back up."

I rushed to the roots of the tree where the Game Boy Advanced had dropped. I just looked at the screen. Much to my surprise it was perfectly fine. I quickly climbed up the tree. This time I wasn't faced with any resistance.

I put the Game Boy Advanced back into the box, and we quickly made it back to the mansion. The various Smashers were all gathered, each with the cube item in their hands. We were taken to a room with a hidden passage that then led to a garage where there would normally be tons of different vehicles. Now there was only one.

We then boarded a ship. We all waited patiently for the head counts, and the last few stragglers, and eventually we set off.

For whatever reason, it was decided that the ship took a scenic route. I just fell asleep, not the least bit concerned that one of the Smashers could be a traitor, and kill us all while we slept.

* * *

**My writing process for this chapter: Eh, it's only 6 pages in Microsoft word (Arial, size 10 font) I'll just write a bit in Word Pad and copy and paste it in later… *Does just that***

**HOLY CRAP!? 26 pages!? I didn't write that much.**

**I probably could of split this up into two days… Having the clubhouse segment as one, and the Reaper's attack as another. And I'll probably regret not doing it that way when I get down a few more chapters, where I have absolutely nothing written yet. (Actually...)**

**This was asked in the reviews, and the question was so good, I figured that it deserved it's own explanation at the end of the chapter. The question was: How do multiple saves work?**

**And my response, mostly copy and pasted:**

**The way I envision it; is as infinite parallel universes, constantly stemming out of all the variations that can happen in the game and from the people who play the games. **

**While the characters aren't really aware of them, they are affected by them a bit. Ness mentioned that he has dreams of various legs of his journey with variations of how they actually went, he mentioned that he saved a kid being attacked by The Sharks. While no such event happened in the game, that parallel universe was made from Nugai entering into the game, and influencing it.**

**Games that are no longer played, have had their save been deleted, through siblings, or say the battery dieing, or just abandoned and forgotten about doesn't necessarily mean that parallel universe is destroyed. Just think of it as the opening of The Wind Waker, where the hero never comes. (Geeze... On second thought that's sort of depressing...) **

**And now a bunch of new stuff:**

**So, every time a new game starts, a parallel universe is made. Using Pokemon Red and Blue as an example, there are countless male pokemon trainers named as Betty because there was no female option in the original games, and a girl put in her own name. And likewise, there are countless parallel universes where the rivals are named Douche, or other much more inappropriate stuff.**

**These parallel universes are also how the Status Quo is able to work. With Lucario's death it was able to overwrite the memories of the Smashers with another group where Lucario hadn't joined yet. All the Status Quo had to do after that was get another Lucario in to the Smashers some way. In this case, breaking the rules of the barrier, and allowing it in.**

**I don't know if I explained it all that well, or not... That's mostly just how I see it. I may write more in future chapters.  
**


	26. Day 25: Smashville: Village of Memories

**Let's finish this thing! We're in the homestretch!  
**

* * *

Day 25: Smashville: The Village of Memories

I woke up in the morning; it took me a few minutes to realize that I wasn't in my room, but instead a rather comfy chair. I looked around and realized that all of the Smashers had fallen asleep in the ship. I needed to go to the washroom, so I stood up and followed some signs. However, I passed a window, and looked out.

I was in shock at what I saw.

We were in space, and I saw a blue planet in front of me.

My mind was captivated. It was beautiful. Deep down, I felt like I had fulfilled some childhood dream.

I was suddenly reminded why I had gotten up in the first place. I quickly followed the signs and

I went to the washroom and did my business. After washing my hands I stepped out and went back to that window to look at the planet once again.

It was different from Earth, but I didn't care. I was captivated by the wonder. "Wow." I just repeated over and over again. "I never believed I'd see the world like this."

"It's your first time in space?" A voice asked. I jumped and quickly I turned over to see Fox drinking some coffee out of a cup.

"Yes." I said.

"I was like you once." Fox laughed. "I was in awe the first time I saw a planet from up here. It just makes you wonder, how small you really are in the grand scheme of things."

"You've seen other planets, right?" I asked.

"Yeah." Fox replied.

"Are they all like this?"

"No," Fox said. "There are quite a few that actually are quite ugly. But don't worry about it." I'm sure he was joking.

Fox walked away and I just continued to look out the window. I really felt small.

"Oh, look, Nugai is staring at the planet." Falco said. "Geeze, you better stop that."

"I won't." I said.

Falco just glared at me. "Really? It's just a planet it's nothing special. There are thousands more."

"When I was a child, I think one of my dream jobs was to be an astronaut." I said. "Exploring the final frontier, space! Maybe making contact with other life forms. Going out on adventures. Those were my dreams."

Falco just laughed.

"What was your childhood dream?" I asked.

"That's a secret." Falco said.

He walked away. Wolf approached me next.

Wolf just laughed. "You're still looking at the planet?"

I glanced at Wolf. "Yeah, so what?"

"Your more simple minded than Fox." Wolf laughed. He walked away.

I decided that it might be better if I got away from the window and stopped looking at the planet. Though I did pull out my cell phone and take a picture of it. I looked at it for a few seconds and then put my cell phone back in to my pocket.

I walked back to the seat where I had slept. I saw that several other Smashers were up, including Red. He stretched and got up, within a few minutes he was back. "Nugai." He said, sitting down beside me. "I can't believe we're in space!"

"Yeah." I laughed. "If I told everyone back home that I visited space, I doubt they would believe me. The perks of being a Smasher."

Red smiled. "Yeah, I couldn't imagine doing this if I wasn't a Smasher."

I didn't know what to talk about, but I figured it would be a while until we went back into the atmosphere, so I had to find someway to pass the time. "Red, can I ask you some questions, about Pokemon training?" I asked.

"Sure." Red said. "Although, would you mind if we walked while we talked?"

"No, not at all." I said.

We got up and began to walk around the ship. "So, what do you want to know about Pokemon training?" Red asked.

"Um, well, I'm not sure." I said. "You're just a beginner right?"

Red suddenly stopped walking. He glared at me. I could feel something in his glare, a sort of pressure, a weight of some sort. Just looking through aura amplified it at least tenfold. "I'm not a beginner," he said. "I'm a retired champion."

I looked at Red rather confused.

_A retired champion?_

"What happened?" I asked.

"I fought an opponent I couldn't beat. My father." Red replied.

I stared at him rather shocked. "Your father?"

"Yes" he replied. "I've rarely seen him, and he approached me one day. Like the last time we met we had a pokémon battle. He however beat me and told me that even though I was a champion I was still weak since I didn't know what strength was. And until I knew what strength was I would never be capable of defeating him. I then retired, but Master Hand approached me and I became a Smasher."

"I see." I replied.

Red just laughed a bit. "You're the first person I told all that to."

"I won't tell anyone if that's what you want." I said.

Red just smiled. "Thank you. So, Nugai, what is strength to you?"

"Strength to me? I guess it's the power to protect those close to me." I replied. "I want to protect everyone from the Reaper. And what is strength to you?"

"I used to think it was just power, a title. Like if I was the strongest Pokemon trainer around I had strength. But, I'm not sure any more."

"I hope you find your answer then." I replied.

Red smiled. "Me too."

We returned back to where we all slept. The rest of the Smashers were all awake now. "There's no way the Reaper would be able to find us in space." Sonic said. "I can't believe that we came up here!"

"This is so amazing!"

"When are we getting back on the ground?"

Master Hand floated into the room. "Hello, and good morning." He said. "I'm pleased to inform you that being in space is only temporary, and we will return back down when everything is ready. So, please make yourselves comfortable. I'm sure it will only be a few more hours."

I don't think anyone wanted to hear that it would take hours until we could all go back down, as there was nothing to do. Master and Crazy Hand disappeared, so they couldn't be pestered by the Smashers to go down now. I didn't even think that I could stare at the planet for much longer.

Red and the rest of the kid Smashers decided to explore the ship, check out every single room. I tagged along. There was a kitchen, some more washrooms, nothing too exciting. "Geeze, this place is so boring." Ness said.

Red nodded in agreement. "Let's hope we can get to Smashville, and it's better than this ship."

We eventually only had one last room to 'explore'. It was the storage room.

In the storage room, there were crates upon crates. All of them were giant metallic crates. That was about it...

"I wonder what's in them." I said.

"Blankets, stuff for survival." Popo said. "I'd also expect some food, but it's going to be airline crap."

"Well, maybe we will find something interesting if we split up." Ness said.

"Do you really believe that?" Toon Link questioned.

"No, but it's not like we have anything better to do." Ness sighed.

Somehow, I got stuck with Lucas, and Ness. I didn't know why we needed to be in groups, as surely nothing bad could happen to us. However, Ness seemed to have his own plans. "Finally, they're gone." Ness sighed.

"You wanted them gone?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, I have some questions for you Nugai." Ness said.

"Oh, joy." I muttered. "About what?"

Ness just seemed to smile. "About your world of course." Ness said.

"I don't remember that much." I said. "So, it won't be a very interesting discussion."

"Well, I had a dream, and I think it was you who was in it. You had moved to Onett, and were getting beaten up by the Sharks." Ness said.

I cringed. "That doesn't sound too enjoyable to me." I muttered. "Besides, how do you know it was me?"

"I just do." Ness laughed.

I sighed. "What else happened?"

"Eh, nothing much." Ness replied. "I took down the Sharks saved you, and then I woke up."

_Well, that was anticlimactic._

I looked in a crate, and there was next to nothing there. Just some blankets, and a few t-shirts that had the Pleiades on it. "The Pleiades is a tour ship." Ness explained. "So, there are some items that they sell to customers."

"A tour ship?" I said confused. "But I thought this was one of the Smasher's ships?"

"It was, it's sort of an older model." Ness explained. "We sort of have it on loan right now. If they call, we have to send it back."

"And how do you know so much about this?" I asked confused.

"I've just been reading up on the info on all of the stages. That was just the prerelease info. Of course, I don't really know why we have an actual ship when we battle in a hologram." Ness sighed. "But still, it's fun to guess what the stages will be like."

I actually found it interesting that they also speculated on what the stages would be like. I wondered if they also guessed about who would become Smashers too.

"Do you also guess who else will be Smashers?" I asked.

Ness just laughed. "Yep!" He said. "We've get to see a large amount of applicants, and then we pretty much just start guessing who's going to get in, we start betting, and rooting for people."

I just nodded. "Do you also have like an in depth analysis and stuff on your end? Like looking at previous patterns?"

"A graph with only two previous reference points doesn't exactly have enough information to do much of an analysis." Ness said.

"I guess, that's right." I said. I wondered if people on this end fought bitterly over who would be in the Smashers and if anyone 'deserved' to be in it. I also felt like sighing as yet more absolutely useless information came back to me.

"Geeze, we better get back to Smashville some time soon." I sighed. "I don't know what else can be done on this ship with out me going insane."

Ness nodded in agreement. We suddenly heard a scraping sound, the sound of metal against metal. We looked up and noticed that several crates were falling over.

The crates fell towards us. Ness was the first one to react. "PK Flash!" Ness shouted, sending a burst of light that pushed the crates back a bit.

"PK Love!" Lucas shouted, sending several hexagons towards the crates and knocking them back. The two combined attacks were able to redirect them away from us. The crates then landed on the ground with a loud thud, and we could all swear that we felt the whole ship shake.

My heart was beating like crazy. They had reacted before I had even registered what was going on. Had they not been there, I probably would have been killed.

I looked at Ness and Lucas. They seemed to of realized what had just happened. I think it was the realization of how close a shave that was, but they were both white. I also wondered if they only now were piecing everything together and just reacted initially on instinct. Before we were even able to get a single word in, the other Kid Smashers had reached us.

"What just happened?" Nana asked rushing towards us.

"The crates just fell," Ness said. "Geeze, that scared me."

"Me too." Lucas said.

"Could it have just been an accident?" Nana wondered.

"No!" Ness snapped. "I bet it was Toon Link playing a prank on us!"

"Toon Link may pull pranks, but he wouldn't try to kill us." I pointed out.

"Nugai is right." Nana said. "Toon Link's prank's have never been malicious."

"I've also been with Toon Link the whole time." Popo said. Toon Link and Popo had come running as soon as they heard the crash. I looked over them; both of them were out of breath.

"Then who pushed these crates down?" Nana wondered.

Everyone looked around confused.

"It could have been an accident, right?" I asked.

"No." Ness replied. "Not here. It was fully intentional."

"How can you tell?" I wondered.

"The crates are stacked in such a way that they will never fall down." Ness replied. "They are also strapped to the wall. The straps have been cut. Look around for them."

We did so, and we eventually found some straps. It was a clean cut. "You would need a sword or a knife to make a cut this clean, it wasn't due to age, that's for sure." Ness said.

We then heard the door open.

"Hello?!" A voice said. We all rushed towards the entrance. Standing there was Sonic the Hedgehog, he was leaning against the wall. "We heard a loud bang and felt the whole ship shake." Sonic said. "What happened?"

"Wait!" Captain Falcon shouted, he was running down the hallways towards us. "Geeze, Sonic, you run too fast."

"You're too slow." Sonic replied.

Captain Falcon just glared at the hedgehog. "Anyways, the other Smashers are all coming here, it would probably be for the best if you explained it then, so you don't have to repeat yourselves."

All the other Smashers came to the storage room. Each of them was rather shocked. We went in the storage room and explained what happened, that several crates fell over, and that we didn't think it was an accident.

"The Reaper may be aboard this ship." Sonic suggested.

Everyone looked at Sonic rather shocked. "No, that's impossible, Master Hand and Crazy Hand repelled him out of the mansion before we fled." Mario pointed out.

"That guy has some way for getting around." Sonic said. "I think he might of been able to predict us fleeing the Smash Mansion, and stowed away in here. Or maybe, it was another assist trophy duplicate that he used to attack the mansion while he snuck in."

Everyone was paranoid. I couldn't blame them. "Lucas," I said. "When you were with the Reaper, how did he get around? Did he just walk from place to place?"

Everyone glanced at Lucas. He would have the answers that everyone needed. However everyone's glaring made him rather nervous. He just stepped back afraid. Realizing that they were making Lucas much more nervous than he should be, they stopped glaring at him. "He could teleport." Lucas said.

Everyone was trying their best to remain calm. Certainly what Lucas just said wasn't helping matters at all. "Since he could teleport, he could just vanish when he needed to. He might have teleported out of the ship after pushing down the crates, thinking that he succeeded in doing the deed." Wolf said. "At least that's what I would say, but I can't smell any trace of that swine here."

"Neither can I." Fox said. "And he has a pretty unique scent."

"He may have covered it up somehow." Dr. Mario said. "And if he teleported, there should still be some trace of energy being left behind. Samus, please scan the place."

"Of course." Samus said.

"Don't waist your time." Mewtwo said.

Everyone looked at Mewtwo rather shocked. "Why?" Samus asked.

"I think we're all overlooking something." Mewtwo said. "Something important."

"What?" I wondered.

"First, we scanned the ship before hand to make sure there was no one extra inside of it. If he somehow was able to trick our sensors, teleportation requires you to know where you're going. Even if he stowed away in here, the storage room was locked until recently, he wouldn't know that we're in space." Mewtwo said. Everyone looked at the Pokemon. "I'd like to propose a new hypothesis then. He used an assist trophy, and set it to activate the moment someone walked into the storage room. The assist trophy would then kill whoever entered, waiting for us to find the body."

Everyone looked at Mewtwo rather shocked.

"If that's the case, then we should start looking for a used assist trophy." Everyone nodded and began to search the storage room.

"I found something!" Sonic shouted. And everyone came rushing over to him. In between some crates was a shell of what used to be an assist trophy. They laid it on the ground, and Dr. Mario approached it. It was now just a Wire Frame's shell.

"Okay, so what now?" Luigi wondered.

I was actually rather confused. I was positive that I had passed by this spot earlier, and not seen it. I had been using Aura to perceive everything. Even if it was stuck in between some crates, I should have seen that aura. Especially since it was so weird. It was as though space was bending around the Wire Frame.

Dr. Mario looked at the assist trophy. "We can go into its memory and see the last thing it transformed into." Dr. Mario said. He flipped over the Wire Frame, and pulled open what appeared to be a door on the back of his head. He plugged something into it, and then backed away. However nothing happened to the Wire Frame.

"It never transformed." Dr. Mario said.

Everyone just looked at the Wire Frame rather surprised.

"But look at all of these muscles, they are completely torn. It was definitely pushing something." Dr. Mario said. "That's all I can tell right here, anything else and I'll have to go back to my lab to see anything. I'll keep this under constant watch, and then once we reach Smashville, I'll give it another much more proper investigation."

The Smashers began to depart.

"Well, that's one mystery solved." I said.

"No, not at all." Mewtwo said. "Dr. Mario and I came to the same conclusion, but decided to stay quite for everyone's safety."

"What?" I said rather shocked.

"Wire Frames don't hide themselves." Mewtwo said. "It was placed there."

I now felt confident that I was right that the Wire Frame wasn't there before. "By who?" I asked.

"I don't know." Mewtwo replied. "Perhaps the Reaper did put him there as a precaution, maybe the Reaper wasn't involved at all and it was a giant accident. It probably would be better if you don't think too much about it. Just don't get separated from any Smashers, and you should be fine if there are any future attacks. But, I also think you don't have to worry as whoever tried to kill you will be much more cautious the next time he tries to do something."

I nodded. "Thank you Mewtwo." I said.

Mewtwo just laughed. "Don't mention it. Just stay with a group of the Smashers and you should be safe."

I knew it was the mole. He was trying to kill me. I wondered if the Reaper had ordered this. It just seemed weird. I thought that the Reaper would at least tell the mole to keep away from me, and that only he could kill me, or something like that. Maybe I was getting far too close to his or her secret. And one of the Smashers was going to do their best to keep me silent forever. I just smiled. "Bring it on." I felt like shouting. "I'll expose who you are and your secrets."

Lucas and Ness just continued to stay with me. I wondered, if now it was clear that someone wanted to kill me, and that I opposed the Reaper, would I be let off of the constant watch. Then again by this time, it didn't feel like they were just observing me. It felt like we were just friends, hanging out, and talking about stuff.

"Still, it's scary, stuff like that." Lucas said.

"Yeah." Ness sighed. "I really hope all this Reaper business is done soon."

"Don't we all." I said.

The two of them just laughed. We made our way back to the seats. All of us just talking about anything we could think about to try and get our mind off of the attempt on our life. Even though Ness and Lucas didn't say anything, I think they knew that one of the other Smashers were to blame and was a mole.

We eventually arrived at the village. Everyone wanted to see it, however Master Hand got out first and told us to not leave the Pleiades until he gave the signal that the coast was clear. Eventually we did receive the signal and we all stepped out.

I looked at the village.

It was familiar. Houses were scattered across the village, and there were plenty of trees, and also weeds. Tons of weeds, it was as though no one had tended the land for a long time.

"Mayor Tortimer said that there was someone who lived here, he used to keep the town together, but one day he left town and never came back." Master Hand said. "With him gone, everyone else left the village, and then, the village now looks like this. He agreed to help us if we restored Smashville to its former glory."

"What can that old turtle do to help us?" I asked out loud.

Everyone just looked at me. It took me a second to realize what I just said.

"Well, houses for starters." Master Hand said, seeming to ignore my little slip up. "Don't worry about anything else, Crazy Hand and I will set up the barrier around Smashville to keep him out."

"Because, that worked out so well on the barrier around the Smash Mansion." Sonic sarcastically said.

"Don't worry." Master Hand said. "This one will be different. We now know what we're up against. It won't break so easily."

The Smashers seemed to be relieved by this revelation. I felt relieved for a different reason. I knew this was the village that had the key to my memories.

We walked into the barrier of Smashville, and I immediately noticed that there were several Wire Frames that were walking around. "What is the point of the Wire Frames?" Pichu asked.

"It's to make sure that no intruders get into Smashville." Master Hand said. "I have programmed them so that if an outsider doesn't have permission to enter Smashville, they will expel the intruder."

_Yeah... they will last a long time against the Reaper and his scythe_

The other Smashers seemed to take a bit of comfort in that. Of course the increased security measures meant nothing against the Reaper.

"This is the Town Hall!" Master Hand said as they got to a building. Standing outside of it was an old turtle with a beard. Mayor Tortimer.

Mayor Tortimer just stood there with open arms. "Thank you, for coming here, all of you!"

"I'm glad to see you're doing well, my old friend." Master Hand said.

"Yes, Master Hand. I see you look as healthy as always."

I couldn't help but wonder how a giant glove looked healthy.

"We're now going to distribute the keys to the various houses in the village. You will own the houses, and can do whatever you want to them. Renovate them, expand them, whatever. You will also be grouped together with several others."

Ness, Lucas, Nana, Popo, Toon Link, and Red were called up first. They were each given a key and then Mayor Tortomire pointed to a piece of paper. Which I assumed was a map.

I actually wondered why I wasn't grouped together with the other kid Smashers. I just looked around the village and noticed a house. I walked away from the crowd, and to the house, however Mewtwo just teleported stopping me.

"What are you doing?" Mewtwo asked.

"That house." I replied. "It's calling me."

Mewtwo looked at the house. It was just a normal looking house. Rather plain actually.

I was dragged back to the crowd, and was soon called up, alone. There was silence. A few of the Smashers were doing their best to hide their whispers. I however was looking at Mayor Tortimer who was staring at me.

"A few years ago, there was a human who came and lived in this town, who looked just like you." He said.

"I'm sorry, but I know I've never been here before." I replied. I decided at this point I better lay low, and try not to draw attention to myself with another comment that came out of nowhere.

"Really? You remind me of that young man so much."

"I'm positive." I replied.

"What was his name?" Mayor Tortimer said. Trying to think. "I'm sorry but my memory has been going in recent years. But, this will be your house."

He used his cane to point at a point on the map. Much to my shock it was that house that was calling me. I was handed a set of keys, and then I was free to go on into my house.

I enjoyed the first few moments of freedom, quickly running through Smashville, until I finally got to the front door. I suddenly paused. Everything about the house seemed familiar.

I walked into the house. It was strange, I looked around across the room. I could tell where everything was. I knew each and every of the items. I went down to the basement, where there was a couch.

I knew I had lived in this house before.

"What's going on?" I said confused.

I went up to the second floor where there was a bedroom. I lied down on the bed and looked around the room. It was all too much; I shot up and ran downstairs and outside. I ran through the town. Each of the Smashers gave me odd looks.

I eventually got to the beach. I sat down, and looked at the waves.

It was far too cold to actually go in, but I just sat there and watched. I now knew that Smashville would be the village of my memories. I would be able to fully restore them here, rather than that small trickle that I had been gaining.

I breathed in the crisp air. And then I heard a voice. "Do you remember anything?"

I turned around and saw Mayor Tortimer. "Master Hand told me that you had amnesia. I figured you were lying back there."

"I now know that I was here previously, I don't know what else though."

Mayor Tortimer just smiled . "Is that so." He said walking away.

I turned my attention back to the ocean. I watched as the waves crested against the shore. "when I'm out here all of my troubles seem to just wash away."

I felt relaxed too. I closed my eyes, and fell back on the sand. I really should have checked if there we're rocks behind me first. I got back up and quickly brushed away the rocks. I fell back down and closed my eyes.

I remembered another thing from my past.

* * *

I was on the beach, with a younger reaper. We were camping. Behind us was a forest, and we went in to explore.

"This place is great!" the Reaper said.

I glanced at him.

"Where do you think this path goes?" he asked.

"No idea." I replied.

We followed the path. Our imaginations seemed to soar, thinking that it would lead to another world. We were only met with disappointment when we found that it just went back to the campsite.

"I guess not any place can be a portal to another world." he laughed.

"Yeah," I said disappointed.

"Speaking of which, do you think we will ever lose that ability?"

I looked into the forest. "I hope we don't." I replied.

* * *

I came back to reality. As I knew now we didn't lose our ability to cross over. But would that always be the case?

I heard footsteps walk towards me. Instinctively I turned my head. It was a person I had never seen before. He wasn't a Smasher, so I didn't know why he was here. The most notable thing about him was that he had white spiky hair. Well, actually that wasn't true. There was something that stood out more about him. He was wearing a suit, on the beach. A black and white checkerboard pattern suit.

"I'm surprised to see someone on this beach." He said, "I guess you're also rather surprised to see someone here too."

I didn't know how exactly I should react. I didn't know if this guy was a friend, or a foe. I just watched in shock as he sat down, no doubt ruining a rather expensive suit.

"I've been across many planets, and many beaches." He said. This guy was just giving me weird vibes. Was he another person like me who could go into video games? Did he work for the Reaper? "But few are like this, Smashville, the village of escapism."

"Who are you?" I asked.

He just smiled. "I'm just an observer."

This guy. I didn't know what to think about him. His aura wasn't displaying anything that was hostile. I thought that if he was with the Reaper, I'd be under attack right now, and he wouldn't of just walked up towards me. I figured he was friendly enough. And decided to keep talking to him.

"So, what brings you here to Smashville?"

"I would just like to see how things play out." He said.

"Play out?" I questioned.

"I want to see you and the Reaper fight, and how that will turn out. It's almost time for that fated hour."

"NUGAI!" A voice shouted. I glanced back to see Ness rushing towards me. "What are you doing out here all alone."

I glanced at where the other person was sitting, he was no longer in sight.

_Oh crap… I better not be going insane…_

"Just looking at the waves, and getting lost in thought." I replied.

Not much of note happened the rest of the day. Whoever the mole was, and tried to kill me earlier didn't do anything else. Most of the Smashers were rearranging their houses to try and figure out where to put stuff, and then consequently arguing with whoever they were sharing the house with. Somehow I had been dragged into it with the Kid Smashers.

"Come on, Nugai!" Ness said. "Don't you think that the big screen TV would look great on this wall?"

"But what about the glare on the TV during the mornings when the sun will be on it?" Nana asked.

Ness just looked at her. "Then we will have curtains to block the sun! This isn't rocket science."

"I really don't want to be dragged into this." I muttered.

"I really wish I got my own house just like Nugai." Ness said. "Then I could have it whatever way I please."

"You'd burn down the house and then be stuck with us regardless." Popo said.

"Once Nugai leaves, I'm taking his house." Ness said.

"Could you at least wait until I'm gone before you start arguing over my stuff." I muttered. "Besides, I might just take everything back to my world with this handy dandy cube." I pulled out the cube and just fiddled with it in my fingers. "By the way what is this thing anyways?"

"Just something that can manipulate space." Red said. "It has the same technology as the Pokeballs, although it's much more advanced since it allows for multiple objects inside."

I looked back at the cube. "So could this store a person inside?" I asked.

"Yeah. In theory." Red said.

"Interesting." I said.

I helped the kid Smashers put stuff around the house. Eventually it was getting late and I walked back to my house.

I reached the door and touched it. Something flashed into my mind.

* * *

"Finally, I paid off my debt to that bastard raccoon." I said. "I've got my own house! I'm never going to leave here again! Good bye world, I'm not going to miss you."

* * *

When I came to I was lying down on the ground. My head was pulsing. I just looked around. "What just happened?" I said.

I got back up, and walked into the house. I just made my way upstairs and collapsed on the bed.

* * *

**Much smaller compared to the last chapter. Oh well. I passed my word count goal for this story of 100,000 words anyways.**

**Well, as you know, Smashville is too long a name to be imputed as a town name in Animal Crossing. I really only am using Smashville because that's the name of the stage in Brawl. I forget the actual amount of characters allowed (I think it may be 9…)**

**Also, add Pleiades and Mayor Tortimer to words I actually have to look up and triple check to see if I've spelt them right every single time I write them.**


	27. Day 26: Another from Earth

**SSB4 trailers… The Animal Crossing Villager, Mega Man, and Female Wii Fit Trainer were announced. Looks great. They won't be showing up here. This story has taken a long time. Since before Brawl was released, to now the first trailers of Smash 4.  
**

**Well, anyways, let's see how screwed up everything can get in the last 10 days. (Answer to that: Very)**

* * *

Day 26: Another from Earth

When I woke up it took me a few seconds to realize I had moved into a new house yesterday. It felt weird. Something in the back of my head was telling me that I had expected there to be much fanfare, and I would be partying into the night, or something. But instead, there was nothing. No remains of a party, boxes scattered about in the general area of where I'd want stuff, no couches being populated by other people, no large amount of beer bottles scattered across the floor or pushed into the corner because there were no other spots, just silence.

It was then I realized that I had a headache. I just moaned, not really wanting to get out of bed. I looked around the room. No one would be coming to get me, and no one would be watching over me. I could just do whatever I pleased.

I stretched out my hand and made a ball of aura. It had finally fully come back. I just smiled, and reabsorbed the aura back into my body.

That was all the energy I needed to get out of bed, I walked around the house, finding the washroom and starting the morning routine. This time I took a nice long hot shower. I just stood there underneath the water, with my eyes closed, as the water hit against my head and then went down my back.

Once my headache had diminished enough I got out and did the rest of my morning routine.

When I was done, I went down to the kitchen, and looked in the fridge. There was nothing, it was just cleaned out. I pulled out the little cube and switched the fridge that was in the cube with the one that was in front of me. When I opened up that one, it had some breakfast in it. There were some frozen waffles in the freezer.

I just took them out and put them in a toaster and then looked around.

The memory from last night was constantly poking the back of my head. "I had moved into this house once before?" I said confused. I was trying to piece everything together, but it was just a random fragment of my lost memories.

Not exactly knowing what to do, I began to run through Smashville for an early morning jog.

There was a lot of fog coming in from the ocean. I just looked around at the town. In the blanket of fog, it felt like anything could happen or be hidden. I closed my eyes to look around the place with aura. There was no one hiding. Everyone seemed to be in their houses. A few of them seemed to notice that I was watching them through aura. A few were even still sleeping.

The Kid Smashers on the other hand were awake right now and making themselves breakfast. I walked over to their house and just knocked at the door. They were a bit surprised, and quickly rushed to the door to open it. I then opened my eyes.

"Nugai?!" Ness said confused, as he opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Just walking around Smashville." I said.

They invited me in. "We were just making breakfast, do you want any?" Ness asked.

"Yes please." I said. I figured the two frozen waffles weren't exactly all that filling. They were making pancakes. It quickly became evident that they were still kids, having made the batter and put a ton of chocolate chips in it, and then the stuff that they topped it with. Copious amounts of maple syrup. A mountain of sugar and lemon juice. I was partly surprised that they didn't bring out some ice cream as well.

I took a few pancakes and just ate it. They were scattered around the house. Some went up to their rooms. Nana went and ate at the dinner table. Ness stayed at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Popo I think went into the TV room.

"Plans for today?" Ness asked.

"None really." I replied. "Just going to try and find a way home. A way to beat The Reaper. You know that stuff that I really haven't had a chance to do since, well, I've been too busy with other stuff."

Ness just nodded.

"Your time is running out." He said.

"Don't remind me." I muttered.

"If you weren't going to die soon, would you stay here?" Ness wondered.

I looked down at the pancake I was currently cutting. "I don't know." I replied.

I got to watch the other kid Smashers come back for seconds and then fight over who got what. After eating my plate I was rather stuffed, and Ness was rather shocked when I declined seconds.

"Well thanks for breakfast."

"You're just going to leech off of us and leave?" Popo said rather annoyed.

"Yeah, there are a few things I want to check out." I sighed.

They just nodded, and I walked out the door and back into Smashville. The fog hadn't disappeared. But I found myself wandering around town, until I saw a train station. I went in.

There were no doors, so the fog was also inside the train station. It was just white. White tiles, white marble walls. White pillars. The place looked really expensive. But going by how the place was abandoned, I doubted that any trains had actually stopped or passed through here recently. I just walked through the building. The whole place was rather creepy.

I kept on turning, expecting to see something in the corner, but it was just a shadow with some light from some windows playing tricks on me. But even when I looked out to the world with aura, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me.

And then, I found myself in front of a wall. A rather big wall. It just felt like something was calling me to touch it. My hand stretched forwards.

"Do you know why you've been called here?" a voice asked.

I jumped and turned around to face that stranger from yesterday. "Who the hell are you?!" I asked.

He didn't answer my question.

"The passage of fate dictates many things." He said. "It was fate that you would be brought back to this town. And fate is about to deal you another card. The Reaper has struck yet again, and he is going to call for you to meet with him, one on one. You have nothing to fear with this encounter."

"What?" I said.

"Go and meet him." The person said.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked while walking towards the person, but then I stopped.

"Nugai!" A voice shouted. I turned around. Soon, rushing to my side was Bowser. "Master Hand called everyone together!"

"Oh." I said. I glanced to where the strange man was, but he had once again disappeared.

"Geeze, what are you doing in this creepy building alone anyways?" Bowser muttered.

I didn't bother answering the question.

Whoever that person was, both Ness and Bowser hadn't seen him. He didn't let off any aura, and just seemed to appear out of thin air. I followed Bowser until we got to the town hall. Master Hand was floating behind a podium, and there was a giant screen with a projector currently projecting something on it.

"We have a situation." Master Hand said. "The Reaper has taken several people in an office building hostage, and has made some demands."

All of the Smashers began to talk amongst themselves.

"Oh no."

"What now?"

"This isn't good."

And then a message played on the screen.

"Nugai, I want to meet with you alone!" The Reaper said. "No one else, will be coming from my end, so come to me if you want to see them live!"

I just sighed. All of the Smashers were looking at me rather afraid. I just didn't know what to do.

"You can't go, it's obviously a trap!" Mewtwo was the first to say.

I just looked towards the screen, and watched as the camera zoomed in towards the terrified faces of the hostages. "Even if it's a trap, I can't let him kill those people."

"What if he kills them regardless?" Fox asked.

I just looked at the hostages once again. "He won't." I replied. "I know he won't."

"How can you be so sure?" Mewtwo asked.

"Just call it a gut feeling." I replied.

"Well, if you're going, we'll send in some other Smashers to get in there and help you out at a moment's notice." Master Hand said.

"No." I replied. "I'm going alone. No bugs, no back up. Just me alone."

Everyone was a bit shocked. I mean, I pretty much just announced that I was walking towards my death if this in fact turned out to be a trap. Or it could be that I just single handedly destroyed any and all good will that I built up over the past few days.

"Well, if that's the case, we can't really stop you." Captain Falcon sighed.

I just laughed. "Yeah."

Snake was glaring at me. Along with the vast majority of the Smashers. "This is crazyness." Snake said. "You're just going to let him do what he wants?"

"We don't really have a choice."

"What if he's working with the Reaper?" Sonic suggested. "And this is the time he will use to betray us. Mewtwo can no longer read his mind, so we have no idea what he's thinking."

"I understand your suspicion." I said. "But I'm not going to betray the Smashers."

There was just silence. All of the Smashers were clearly not amused with me going to face the Reaper once again, considering what happened only a few days ago their fears were justified.

"Well, if you're going, you can take my Blue Falcon." Captain Falcon said. Everyone looked at Captain Falcon like he was crazy, they knew how over protective he was of his racer, and that he wouldn't part with it that lightly.

Even I was a bit shocked. "What?" I said.

Honestly, I was expecting a lot more apprehension about this. Sonic really did have a point; I was a wild card right now. And they only really stopped observing me because of well, the attempt on my life, and my fight against the Reaper back at the Smash Mansion.

He just nodded. "Yes. Take it. Or would you rather the Falcon Flyer?"

I didn't know what to say. He just pulled out two sets of keys. "However, you owe me gas money." He said. "The Falcon Flyer also comes with it's own pilot, a robot."

"I'll take the flyer." I said. I had a better feeling that it would get back in one piece, if I was forced to make a run for it.

Captain Falcon just nodded, and tossed me the keys.

Everyone sighed, and they began to walk away.

"Thanks," I said.

Captain Falcon just laughed. "Don't mention it." He said

Mewtwo however teleported in front of me. He stretched out his arms and just looked at me. "Nugai, stop." Mewtwo said. "You can't go there, it will be the death of you."

"Have you foreseen it?" I asked.

"No." Mewtwo said. "We can't trust the Reaper to keep his end of the bargain. What if you're attacked on the way there? I just think this whole thing is fishy."

I just sighed. "Mewtwo, listen, you've been watching over the entirety of Smashville, right?"

"Of course I have, why do you ask?" Mewtwo said.

"A strange man has approached me in Smashville's borders." I said. "He has told me I have nothing to fear about this encounter."

"What are you talking about?" Mewtwo said. "A strange man?"

"He appears and disappears randomly." I explained. "So far he has only appeared when I was alone."

"And you're going to trust him? What if he's working with the Reaper?" Mewtwo asked.

"He isn't." I replied. "I can just tell. He's there to guide me..."

Wolf just suddenly slapped me on the back. "Well, if he thinks that strange disappearing people are there to guide him, I say we let himself go. Besides, if he dies, it's one less problem we have to deal with."

"Hey!" I said rather offended. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"You said it, not me." Wolf said walking away.

Mewtwo just sighed. "I guess there is nothing I can do to stop you."

I nodded. "Sorry, but I'm going to meet the Reaper."

I walked past Mewtwo to the Falcon Flyer. It was a blue and yellow ship, with the yellow part looking like a bird's beak. I just got in it, and imputed the coordinates, and it was off.

I looked around; it was actually kind of like a motor home, several comfortable chairs, a sofa, a table. Off in the corner there was a little kitchen with a microwave, a stove, and a sink. Behind some doors there was a bathroom with a shower. And behind a final door was what appeared to be a garage. I figured this was where the Blue Falcon stayed when Captain Falcon was using the Falcon Flyer to transport it.

I lied down on one of the sofas, and drifted to sleep.

I was woken up a while later with a buzzing sound that announced the arrival to the destination. Not much time had passed, just 30 minutes. I stepped out of the Falcon flyer and saw a large crowd of people gathering around the building. There was a bunch of police officers who were acting as a barricade.

I walked towards the barricade. "You can't enter there, it's a delicate situation." one of the police was saying.

"I'm Nugai." I said.

"You still can't enter." the officer said.

I just walked right past him. "Hey, what are you doing?" He asked. Several guards rushed to try and stop me, however I just created a barrier of Aura around myself and quickly expanded it to push them away.

"I promise I'll get the hostages out." I said.

He didn't buy it, several members of the swat team rushed towards me. I just weaved through them almost effortlessly. Each of their movements were far too slow for me. By the time they had even reacted I was at the doors of the building. "So this is what my aura awakened feels like." I muttered.

"Hey stop!"

They began to fire their guns at me. I just used aura to stop the bullets in air. I opened the doors and went in, I also made sure to seal the door shut so they wouldn't be able to follow me.

I just walked through the hallways, and eventually got to the room where the Reaper and the hostages were.

I used Aura to see into the room. The hostages were there all huddled into a corner. They were all terrified. My headache began to come back. I fell down and just waited for several minutes hoping that my headache would die down incase this turned into a fight.

It suddenly felt like my hearing got much better. I was able to hear all of the hostages talking amongst themselves.

"Lauren." One hostage said.

"What is it, Sara?" another said.

"Just in case we don't get out of this alive, there is something I want you to know." Sara said.

"What is it, Sara?" Lauren asked.

"I've always loved you, each and every time we talked, I've wanted to say it but I've been afraid of what you would think. I love you with a loving love that loves on lovingly until it can love no more."

"Would you just shut up?" The Reaper said rather annoyed. "I have no intention on killing you if Nugai actually does show up. But if you keep talking, I will just for some bloody peace and quiet, and a chance to quell this stupid headache, and let off some steam"

The hostages all just went silent. I could at least say that I was happy that the Reaper told them to zip it. At least two of them were sounding like an incredibly boring alternative romance novel. I just let off a sigh. I had mostly recovered. I got up and walked through the door.

"I'm here, now let them go free." I said.

The Reaper let off a small laugh. "Get out." He said.

They all began to run away. I waited in case he did anything, but he let them all go. "You wanted to meet with me alone?" I asked.

The Reaper just smiled. "Yes, I get the feeling some of your memories have returned."

"Some, not all." I said.

He sat down on a chair, and seemed rather calm. There was no hostility behind him. "Then I want to know, was there a reason why you stopped coming to this world regularly?"

"You called me here for that? You put those people in danger for that?" I said annoyed.

"It was important. I wanted to finish our discussion during that night in front of the Best Buy."

"November, 18, 2006." I said. "I at least remember the date. What conversation was it? I've remembered a few of them."

"You said you wouldn't go back into this world." The Reaper said. "I was wondering what you meant by that?"

"So am I." I replied. "My memory ends with you shaking me asking questions. I don't know the answer."

The Reaper sighed. "Our conversation back then was interrupted. So you didn't tell me what you meant, or why you stopped going in."

I just sighed. I collapsed in a chair. The two of us just sat there a few meters apart.

"I don't know why right now." That was all I was able to say. "I don't have a better answer, sorry."

"That's fine." The Reaper said.

It was strange. We were just casually talking like old friends. It was like for this brief moment, we weren't enemies, just old friends who met each other randomly.

"Are you still trying to complete Project Fantasia?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied.

"Then I'll have to stop you." I said.

"I know." The Reaper said.

"Still, I think you've gotten soft." I replied. "Our previous encounter, I don't see why you're being called the Reaper if that's how you dealt with people..."

He cringed. "They are just data." The Reaper replied. "Why are you protecting them?!"

"Do you really believe that they are just data?" I asked. "You've come to realize it too, haven't you? That they are alive, just like us. They were never data, that was just us jumping to conclusions and thinking that way."

The Reaper was growing more and more frustrated. He clenched his fists, and then just pounded the nearby wall leaving a rather big dent. "Nugai!" He snapped.

"So, you do know." I said.

"Freak!" He snapped. "Do you even know how hard this is?"

"So you've been lying to yourself?" I said. "Just killing all of them..."

"Freak man." He snapped. "Just shut up! This is the only way. Freak..."

The Reaper just sat there, his head buried in his hands. He seemed like a man who knew what he had done and regretted it, but he was continuing onwards regardless. "Nugai." He eventually said. "Even if that is the case, I have to do it. I can't let Project Fantasia succeed, no matter what the costs."

_Wait what?_

"What? But you just said that you were trying to accomplish Project Fantasia and…"

"That's true. I am." The Reaper said. "The only way that I can return back into our world is through Project Fantasia, since my body over there is dead. I theoretically would just be replacing it with this body. If I was the only person attempting Project Fantasia, I might just be able to do a small contained area. But I'm not the only person."

"What?" I said shocked.

He smiled, knowing that he had my attention. "There are others working to complete a large scale version, a complete fusion between our two universes and I have to stop it. I decided that long ago when my life was saved by coming to this world. But, since I'm trapped in this world, what I can do here is extremely limited compared to what I could do out there. It's unfortunate, but that's why I'm killing everyone."

"But the way you're doing it, isn't going to solve anything. You're just killing millions of people."

"You're beginning to sound like a broken record." The Reaper said. "People die all the time. Pets, people, even worlds all die. Tell me Nugai, it's either we do it this way, or we wait until Fantasia is complete, and it get's much worse from what I'm doing! This way, if Fantasia doesn't destroy our world, they will gain nothing. It will be for nothing. The joke will be on them."

"The punchline is at the cost of billions of lives!" I snapped. I reached for the beam sword that was holstered on my belt. I turned it on and pointed it at him.

"You can't kill me." The Reaper calmly said.

"I don't plan on it!" I replied. "But that doesn't mean I can't beat the crap out you!"

The Reaper laughed, rather amused. "You don't get it, you have no choice. There is no other way for me to get back alive. And as long as I'm alive in this world, I'll keep on killing them and trying to complete my version of Project Fantasia."

"Then when I escape, I'll come back in, and stop you again. I'll stop you as many times as it's necessary." I said.

The Reaper let off a heavy sigh. "You don't get it do you? No, I guess you don't. It's my fault really, I haven't actually explained anything. I was hoping that your memories would have triggered something, or had an answer, but seems like that wasn't the case. I shouldn't have said all of that, and just skipped right to the real reason I called you here. I wanted to explain that this is much bigger than you or I."

I just cringed. "What do you mean?"

"Even if you beat me there will be others trying to complete Project Fantasia."

"Then I will stop them too." I said. "I will do everything in my power to stop them."

"You're too naive." he laughed. "You don't stand a chance against society itself."

"What?" I asked.

"You stopped coming into this world, so you wouldn't know, but the government hunted me down and found me." he said. "They would have done the same to you if you had constantly gone in, and saw you as a threat to their plans."

"A threat?" I said. He saw that I was quite clearly attentive.

"I'll tell you all that I know. It all started with the transfer student." The Reaper said.

* * *

"Freak, I'm late!" The Reaper shouted.

It was the day that would change his life forever. The Reaper had stayed up late traveling into the other world during the weekend. At this point the two best friends had not talked to each other for nearly 3 years.

Yes, ever since they had graduated grade 8 they hadn't met up. Both of them wanted to, and both wanted to talk about what high school had brought. But stuff happened; almost like some divine hand separated them, and neither of them had talked.

The Reaper in particular wanted to also share his thoughts and theories on the alternate world, that each save was creating a parallel world, and that somewhere out there, there would be a true world that each of these parallel worlds branched off of. He was also wondering what his friend found out or thought.

Early on they had agreed to tell no one about this. And both of them had kept their word to this day.

The Reaper had rushed onwards to school. He had somehow made it to his class before the first bell. He just took his seat and waited for class to begin.

At the beginning though, the Teacher came in with another student behind him. It was a completely new person.

"We have a transfer student." the teacher, Mrs. Rehcaet said. "His family just moved here. So be nice."

He sat down in the empty seat beside the Reaper.

"My name is Dave." he said stretching out his hand. The Reaper took it and shook it.

Class soon begun and when it was over Dave was frantically trying to figure out where his next class was. The Reaper looked at his schedule and noticed that it was completely identical to his own.

He thought nothing of it, since all he had this semester were a bunch of mandatory classes.

"What luck, we're in the same courses." the Reaper said. However it would be only a matter of time before he found out that, luck had nothing to do with it.

The day went by without any events, and eventually the week went by. "If you're not doing anything Dave, why don't you come and hang out at my place!" The Reaper said.

"Sure." Dave said.

"Great. I'll give you my address" The Reaper said.

* * *

I was just looking around the room. Trying to see if there were any hidden cameras or something, and seeing if this was being projected back to Smashville, so that my sitting down in front of him, and talking like old friends would come back and bite me in the ass.

"Are you even paying attention?" he asked.

"Sorry, you're not a very good story teller." I replied.

"I assure you, neither are you." The Reaper said.

"Can you just get to the point all ready?!" I asked. "I'm sure the Smashers are watching, and I'm pretty much on thin ice with them all ready."

"So, you didn't notice the bug on your back." The Reaper said.

My eyes flared open. That's what Wolf had done. He made me angry in order to not notice. "Whatever, I don't care." I said. I should have actually looked at that in a mirror back in the Falcon Flier.

"You better care, because the Great Fox is out there, cloaked and ready to fire at us if you announce your betrayal." The Reaper said.

"How do you know that?" I asked confused.

The Reaper just laughed. "I can see everything." The Reaper said. "It came with the ability to edit source codes and alter anything that I please in this world."

"So, that's how you were able to find us so quickly when we were trying to escape the Smash HQ." I said. Part of me was now doubting that there was even a mole. He could of probably used that ability to get past the barrier at the mansion. But then… why did he have the Smash Pendant.

The Reaper just sighed. "Back to the story, it was like old times."

* * *

The Reaper couldn't help but be reminded of him, his old friend. Then one day, when they were hanging out Dave said something. "Listen, you were asking why I had to move and transfer schools a while back."

"Yeah, you said your dad was transferred." The Reaper said.

"That was a lie." Dave said. "Listen, what I'm about to show you is a secret, and it was the reason I was forced to move away. I showed this to someone and the news went all over the school."

The Reaper just looked a bit puzzled. In his head he was trying to figure out what would possibly result in someone moving away. But as Dave got closer to the TV, the Reapers heart began to sank. He put two and two together very quickly.

Dave turned on the Gamecube, and Super Smash Bros Melee started. He placed his hand on the screen and it began to ripple like water. Soon his arm was inside the TV.

* * *

"Wait there are others?" I shouted surprised. I don't actually know why, since this was painfully obvious from others attacking me a while back, the Smashers knowing about the 40 day limit and a bunch of other things that had been engrained in my head from the days of being here.

"Yes." The Reaper sighed. "At first I was surprised too, and I thought it was quite the coincidence that we met up."

* * *

The Reaper was doing his best to remain calm. This wasn't the best course of action. "You're not scared?" Dave asked.

"I'm surprised." The Reaper said. "I didn't know that there were others."

"Others?" Dave asked.

The Reaper nodded. "I've been able to do it for quite a while."

Dave just felt relieved. He pulled his hand out of the TV and just smiled. "Please show me." he said.

The Reaper wasted no time putting his arm through the TV. "Let's talk in there." Dave said. The Reaper went through the TV, and then Dave followed.

They landed in Green Greens. Dave just had a smile across his face. He wasted no time in rushing towards the Reaper. The Reaper was caught off guard by his attack and was suddenly winded. He lay on the ground just looking up at Dave in shock. Dave then pinned him down to the ground.

"The first thing you should know is that my name isn't Dave, Cody, Matt, Mike, Phil, Kevin, or whatever bullshit name I use to get close to people. I'm a Government agent looking for those who can cross over into this world."

The Reaper just looked rather surprised.

"The second thing you should know is that I'm also quite the sadist." He said. "You're going to answer my questions, and if I believe that you are lying, I am not afraid to horribly disfigure or even kill you." In his hands appeared fire. "To show you that this is real..." He placed his hand on The Reapers chest right where his heart was. The Reaper screamed out in pain.

* * *

"What?" I said in shock.

The Reaper showed me part of his chest. There was a scar there from a nasty burn. I closed my eyes and could see some aura residue. I got up, and walked towards him, and then I managed to stretch out my hand and just touched the wound. I could feel aura around his heart. It was like a fire. I pulled my hand away, burned slightly by the aura.

"Please continue." I said.

* * *

"I've put in some life flame around your heart." Dave said. "So I'll know if you're lying."

The Reaper just wanted to knock Dave off of him and run away. "I'd stay here too." Dave said. "I have no problem killing your family either."

"Just who are you?" The Reaper managed to ask.

"I told you, I'm with the Government. That's all you need to know."

"But that's impossible." The Reaper said. "You're too young."

"There are a bunch of us." Dave said. "We all just work for the pay."

"Our tax dollars at work." The Reaper sighed.

"They want technology from this side, and if you don't work for them you're targeted to be assassinated."

The Reaper just looked horrified, knowing all to well where this was probably going to go. "By the way, I'm not your age." Dave laughed. "I traveled through the two dimensions so much I stopped aging. I probably shouldn't of had that Turbo controller in to slow down the game... Stupid cat."

The Reaper just laughed. "I see, so you're about, 30 years old. Okay then! Good to know you're a creepy old man."

Suddenly there was an immense pain around The Reapers heart. "I feel a tad touchy about my age." he said. "Now, That's enough about me, let's talk about you."

The Reaper knew he couldn't bluff him.

"Where did you get your power?" Dave asked.

"I don't know." The Reaper said. No pain came.

"Why don't you know?" The Reaper asked.

"It just happened. Someone else dragged me in showing what he could do, and then the next time I checked, I could do it too." The Reaper said.

"Who dragged you in?" he asked.

There was just silence. "I'm waiting."

"I won't sell him out." The Reaper said. "I promised him I would never tell anyone about it."

Dave clenched his fist. The Reaper just sat there expecting there to be pain. But none came.

"Why aren't you crying out in pain?" Dave asked.

The Reaper just laughed. "I think I understand. You set the condition of your life flame to only hurt me if I'm lying. It seems to take into account our promise."

Dave just kicked The Reaper in the stomach winding him once again. "So what if the Life Flame can't hurt you, I can still hurt you. Now tell me his name."

The Reaper just laughed. "Even if I tell you his name, it won't do you any good."

"Why not?"

"He won't start talking to you. He has the ability to see people for who they are. He can hear their true thoughts." The Reaper said.

"A telepathic kid? That's no problem." Dave laughed. "We'll just get someone who's mind is a blank slate."

"I didn't mean it like that." The Reaper said. "He's shy, and has a hard time warming up to new people. It would be a waste of your time."

"Ha!" Dave laughed.

"And if you betray him, you're not going to live through it. I think he's just been waiting to snap, and all he needs is a little push."

The Reaper delivered one well-placed kick right into Dave's crotch. Almost immediately Dave fell over, writhing in pain. After all, he was only human.

"Now then, you're going to answer my questions." The Reaper said.

Dave just laughed. "What makes you think that I'll talk."

"I don't. But, two can play your game." The Reaper said, kicking Dave while he was down.

"Well then, humor me." Dave laughed. "But if you do anything to me, it will be only a matter of time before others come after you, and actually kill you."

"I'll take my chances." The Reaper said. "Now then, you said that the Government wanted the Technology on this side, is it safe to assume that they have a much bigger goal?"

"Why do you think they would tell me?" Dave asked.

"I don't, but I think a little speculation never hurt anybody. The way I see it, why stop there? We had a rather stupid idea when we were kids of somehow fusing the worlds together, we called it Project Fantasia."

Dave actually looked up horrified. "How do you know that name?" he asked

"Oh, so the Government is planning something." The Reaper laughed.

"Answer the question."

"I just told you, we made it up as kids." The Reaper said.

"That's impossible! That project is confidential! Even I'm not supposed to know about it! How can you, some nobody off of the street know it?" Dave said. If he had any composure left it was completely destroyed by those two words.

The Reaper just smiled.

"Just who the hell is your friend?"

"Just some guy I met in grade school." The Reaper replied.

* * *

"So, now I want to ask you, how did you know about Project Fantasia?" The Reaper asked.

I just laughed. "Honestly, I just thought it was some NPC dialogue. 'I wish to bring together both worlds peacefully, the human world and the pokemon world. I'll call it Project Fantasia.' was what I believed he said. To be honest all I remember about that NPC was that he was wearing a checkerboard pattern suit."

My eyes suddenly bolted open. "No way." I muttered.

"What?"

"That NPC… he appeared in front of me yesterday and earlier today." I said. "Just who is he…"

"If I had to guess, someone with a lot of answers." The Reaper said.

"Then I guess I should go back to Smashville, and he will appear in front of me again." I said.

"Before you go, now that I've told you everything that I know, I will once again ask you to join me." The Reaper said.

"If I join you, you're still going to do what you've been doing." I replied. "Aren't you?"

"Of course, if I kill everyone, and destroy everything and fuse the worlds, I will simply be alive again. Meanwhile, they won't know any better and just waste their time and resources."

"For that reason, I must oppose you." I said. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

"I figured you would say that. Your heart was always in the right place." The Reaper said.

"Listen, if there is a way we could end this with out fighting..." I began.

"There is no way." The Reaper said. "If there was, I would have found it all ready."

I let off a heavy sigh. "I see." I said. "Then, we must fight."

"So it seems."

I began to get up out of the chair. "There is one last thing that I want to do." I said.

I just placed my hand on his chest, and used aura to push out the life flame. As soon as it had all gotten out of him it completely vanished. I used aura, but couldn't see any residue. The only proof that it was ever there was the scar on his chest.

"Getting that thing out felt horrible." The Reaper said. He looked around, and then just laughed. "The life flame is really gone. Although now they are probably thinking that you killed me."

"In that case, hang low." I said. "I wonder if this 'Dave' will show himself."

"Wait, you're going to use yourself as live bait?" The Reaper said.

"Yeah, I have some questions that I want answered, and I think this will be the only way." I replied. "Well then, I know this won't be the last time we see each other."

I walked to the door, and then paused. I turned back to him. "Although, there is one thing I don't get."

"Shoot." The Reaper said.

"You said you had the power to edit everything. With your power, you should have just been able to encrypt the passageways between worlds or something, right?" I said.

"I thought about doing it that way." The Reaper sighed. "but, I figured that they would quickly break through any encryption I did. If that's your plan, it's a fruitless effort."

"No, I don't think so. I don't intend to stop them, only stall them." I said.

The Reaper just sighed. "That's pointless..."

"One year is all I need, I intend to find others who can fight with us." I said. "Come on, stop this, and we can find a way to restore you back to life instead of going through your plan!"

"Even if we did it that way, if I returned back to our world, how would I explain it to everyone that I was still alive? That the me that died in the accident..."

"I don't know, say someone pulled you out of your car and you've been in a coma at a hospital for the past few months." I said.

"Months huh?" He muttered.

"How long has it been in here?" I asked.

"It feels like years." The Reaper said. "The flow of time is different for everyone I guess."

"Come on, Brawl released, we can go back and play a few rounds, right?" I said.

"Brawl, huh?" The Reaper said. "So, that was the game that you were about to play when I dragged you into this world. It was the closest you've ever been since my accident, I guess."

"To be honest, I stopped playing." Nugai said. "For the first month, I just couldn't play anything. I was staring at the screen. I couldn't find the energy to play a game. The thought of even opening up the wii and seeing the screen with games we used to play, was too much. I just didn't want to feel that pain again."

The Reaper nodded. "I see." He said. "It shook you that badly."

I just nodded. "At least I remember that."

The Reaper just sighed. "The battle against the Government will be hard regardless. They have all ready proven that they are willing to go to the extremes to withhold their ideal world and obtain it."

"Still, it's only one organization, right?" I said. "They can be taken down."

"So, you really know nothing." The Reaper said. "It's not just one organization. Every single major body of power in our world is in this. Giant privetly owned corporations are financing this, so that they can get some of the technology sooner, and profit from it. Military organizations are financing it. They all come together under one roof. To fight against Project Fantasia would be to fight against the world."

I stared at him a bit shocked. "I see." I managed to say. "What is the name of the combined forces?"

"Zenith." The Reaper replied. "On the outside, looks just like any other research and development company. On the inside, the world is in the palm of the owners hands."

"And who is the owner?" I wondered.

"No idea, but I have a lot of reasons to believe that the owner was able to jump between the worlds just like us." The Reaper said.

"Besides the few that you still have working with you, how many others are there?" I wondered.

"I can't imagine very many." The Reaper sighed. "They've done a rather good job of keeping the place clear of most other people who can jump between the worlds... They even circulated a certain rumor, which I'm sure you've no doubt heard."

I paused for a few seconds, and tried to think. "The only one I can really recall was that I was a chosen hero that would end the war. But I learned that it was fake rather quickly."

"Correct. As cliched as a chosen hero from another planet sounds to us, it lured others in hook, line, and sinker. All three sides were fed the same lie, so that anyone who came over would quickly be killed trying to fulfill some nonexistent prophecy. And if they somehow survived, the 40 day time limit would kill them." The Reaper said. "It was a smart way to get rid people who could pose a threat to your plans, don't you think?"

"Dieing a martyr." I sighed.

The Reaper just nodded. "I wonder, if things didn't happen the way they did, would I of been another martyr. And then whoever is making Project Fantasia would be unopposed. By keeping the whole console wars on our end in the mind of others, and as they went on to forums to troll, and shout because of their console of choice, it left this world in a state of perpetual war. Looking at it this way, dragging you in was actually a good thing."

I sighed.

The Reaper just laughed. "If you find a surefire way to get me back, let me know, and I'll join you, but for right now, I can only hope to continue what I've started. It's a dark path, and I don't think I can easily turn away from it."

The Reaper walked towards a window. He opened it up, and looked down. "Even though I released the hostages, they are still there. They want to kill me."

"Of course." I said. "You are the Reaper."

"I guess this is good bye. I doubt they will all follow me, so be prepared to do whatever you can to escape." The Reaper said, jumping out of the window. I just sighed. Even though he didn't attack me, even though he had no intention of killing me right now, my heart was pounding. Everything about this encounter was painful.

There were several gunshots being fired. I just got up, and began to walk back to the entrance. I was hoping that I could just sneak away, get out quicker than I got in, and without the hassle. But it wasn't long until a swat team surrounded me. They had been patrolling the halls trying to find the Reaper. They quickly raised their guns at me.

"Sorry, but I'm not the Reaper." I said weaving between all of them.

They quickly followed me, and shot. I pulled out the beam sword and deflected each of the shots. I didn't want to fight right now. Especially against them. I was only using Aura to increase my reaction time.

When I got to the front doors, they were broken down. There were several guards out there, waiting for me, with their guns.

I entered the awakened aura state and just jumped above them. In the air I repeatedly jumped, using aura to temporary make a platform and allow me to double jump indefinitely.

I made it back to the ship, and quickly set off for Smashville. I suddenly felt exhausted, even though I didn't even throw a punch. It was just weaving through those guards. I collapsed on a chair and just went to sleep.

I was woken up a few minutes later by the ship shaking. It had stopped moving, and was now boarding on something. On the screen there was something flashing. Suddenly on the monitor appeared Fox. "Nugai. Are you there?" Fox asked.

"Yeah." I said. I had forgotten about that bug…

"Captain Falcon has overrode your commands on the Falcon Flyer, and you're now in the Great Fox's hanger. Falco will be there in a few minutes to escort you back here to the meeting room, where we're going to have a nice discussion about what just happened." Fox said.

I cringed.

Falco soon came to the Falcon Flyer, and I was escorted to a meeting room. Sitting in the room was Fox, Captain Falcon, and Wolf. I was just told to take a seat.

"I'm guessing you heard all of that." I said.

"Loud and clear." Fox said.

"Project Fantasia…" Wolf said. "I'm quite interested now, and I'm sure everyone else would be back at Smashville."

"But why did you let the Reaper live?" Fox asked.

"I believe there is a way to get him out of here without killing him. He can go back to my world." I replied.

"He said that if there was a way he would of done it." Captain Falcon said.

"He can't, not this way. At least I think there is a way, back in my world." I said. "I think, since he can't go back, he can't do this way."

"Now, about this 'Dave'." Falco asked.

"I think I may flush him out, by removing The Reaper's life flame. Can you please keep it under wraps that the Reaper is still alive." I asked.

"We can try, but no idea if the Reaper will keep quiet." Fox said.

"After this today, I think he will be." I said.

We returned back to Smashville, and I was allowed to go free. I was half suspecting that they were going to try and trail me around, but beyond the odd Smasher coming up to me and asking what happened, nothing really happened.

"What happened?" one would ask.

"The Reaper won't bother us for a while." I said. I had prepared the stock answer with the others. They thought it was the best idea. Just in case this 'Dave' was lurking in the shadows, watching, and waiting.

"Nugai!" A voice shouted. I looked around confused it was a voice that I couldn't piece to any of the Smashers. I turned around to see the origin of the voice.

Rushing towards me was Tei. "Nugai!" He said. "I can't believe it, how are you?"

"Okay, I guess." I replied. I was a bit confused as to why he was in Smashville. He certainly wasn't a Smasher, and then him and his siblings just disappeared off of the face of the earth for a while there.

Tei just shook my hand. "I heard the news, you killed the Reaper."

"Yeah." I said.

"Well, I'm glad one threat is gone." Tei said. "Why don't you come with me, I'll treat you to some coffee."

"I don't drink coffee." I said.

"Well then, how about a hot chocolate, since you're such a sissy." Tei said.

"I think I'll take that." We went to the cafe in the museum, Tei got a coffee, and I got a hot chocolate. After we had finished, Tei got up, and took me outside of Smashville.

"Come on, Rai, and Sui found something and wanted to show me. Maybe it will be a portal back to your world." Tei said.

Just those words made me excited. I followed him out to a nearby forest. It wasn't exactly big, but there were a lot of tall trees. After a five-minute walk we got into a clearing in the middle of the forest. I looked up, and looked at the sky. "Are Rai and Sui here too?" I asked.

"Yeah, they'll meet up in a few minutes." Tei said.

"Good." I said, "There was something I wanted to talk to you about first, 'Dave'." He turned around really quickly, but I had prepared for that, I had my beam sword out, and ready to hit him at a moment's notice. "You three were going to kill me, weren't you?"

"How did you hear that name?" Tei asked.

"The Reaper told me." I said. "And, I figured that you were Dave since you thought he was dead."

"What, come on!" Tei said. "That's a-"

"Your next words are 'a completely reasonable assumption." I said. "Well, when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me. First, I never said I killed the Reaper. I only said that the Reaper would not bother us for a while."

"What?!" He said. "You mean to tell me that the Reaper is still alive?!"

"Yes." I replied. "He is still alive."

"So, you've betrayed the Smashers."

"You say that like you're a member." I said.

A smile crossed Tei's face. "Well then, I guess I've been found out. Yes. I am 'Dave'. What else do you know?"

"He told me everything. How you wanted to target me, and how he was protecting me from you." I said.

Tei just laughed. "Oh, he said that. You're just a gullible fool."

"Maybe I am." I said. "But I think your Life Flame is to blame for that. He could only tell the truth, otherwise he would feel intense pain."

Tei tried to regain his composure. "So what?" Tei said. "Maybe that's just what he believed in his heart, as long as he believes that it's the truth the life flame won't attack him."

I just laughed. "Yeah, and that's why I'm willing to trust him." I said.

Tei just laughed. "Imagine what would happen if the Smashers heard you talking like this, they would kill you, they would think that you were joining the Reaper!"

I shrugged it off. "I wonder, would they feel the same way towards you for bringing The Reaper into this world. For being the reason why he became the way he was, and motivating all of his destruction."

"What?"

"He was making sure that if the government or some other person attempted Project Fantasia he would be the only thing brought over." At those words, a bolt of lightning, and a torrent of water rushed towards me. But, with a simple jump up into the air, I managed to avoid it. Tei quickly sent several fireballs towards me. I however just used a wave of aura to counter against the attacks.

"I wouldn't try any of that." I said. "My awakened state will be able to take on all three of you at once."

"It seems like we have no choice." Tei said. "We have to kill him."

I'd be lying if I said I was surprised by that response. I just let off a heavy sigh, wishing it really didn't have to come to this. "Okay, well then, looks like we're going to have to fight." I said.

My hair went white. The three of them immediately seemed to grasp that this wasn't a very good thing. Tei quickly began to create fire in his hands.

I just closed my eyes. All three of them, their electricity, water and fire let off aura, I could tell where each and every attack was going to be. I also released a large amount of aura that acted like radar. It just let me know each and every movement of theirs.

Rai was the first to attack with a barrage of constant lightning bolts. I quickly turned around and blocked them with a staff made out of aura. Sui was the next. She rushed towards me and threw a kick. Water was on her leg, and it acted like a whip. A nearby tree got cut through by the kick.

Tei followed up with a punch aimed directly at my head. However I blocked that attack. With my hand on his I released a ripple of aura that immediately made his arm fall down limp. He just quickly backed away from me.

Rai had rushed towards me and began to rapidly attack. He had transformed partly into electricity to drastically increase his speed. Even with aura I couldn't keep up and was forced to take a few hits, although I had used some aura to at least dull the impact from each of the attacks. I quickly jumped away, however, upon landing my body began to go numb. He had released some electricity into my body, which screwed up my brain sending signals down to the rest of my body.

"No matter how fast you are, a human can't exceed the speed of electricity." Rai said. "Now you're just going to have to die."

I fell back. Luckily I landed on a tree, so that I at least something to support me. I was uncertain that if I fell down if I would be able to get back up once my body started listening to me again. The three approached me. However, Aura began to erupt from my body. I began to shape the aura into a giant creature. I didn't care what it looked like; it just had to be big enough so that it could protect me.

"You're a fool." Tei said. "You can do that, but it will just be a matter of time until the aura runs out if you keep using it like this."

I just laughed. "I had my aura awakened to its true potential, and had all of the knowledge since aura was founded engrained, and you think that I'm going to run out of Aura?" The three of them weren't amused. "Sorry, but I'm not an idiot who is just going to blast through all of his aura and make himself a sitting duck."

"Still, you must have a limit, and you will eventually run out."

"I wonder when that will be." I laughed. "You have to have a limit too, for when your energy runs out. And I can tell that currently, the Rai is going to run out first, followed by you Tei, and then ending with Sui. When that happens, you may get lucky if I'm down at 25 percent remaining of my aura."

"We'll see about that." Tei said.

Rai began to unleash lightning bolts at my giant aura puppet. However they did next to nothing. Sui fired several water bullets, however they just splashed against it. "What the?!" Sui said suprirised. "It's like it's solid!"

I just nodded. "Yeah."

"This guy." Tei muttered. "We have to kill him. He's too dangerous. He can't make it back to Earth alive."

The other three nodded in agreement. "We have to kill him." Rai repeated, which I do have to admit was a bit creepy.

Sui gathered water and it had turned into ice, she swung the sword at my Aura puppet. Much to my surprise, the aura began to go into her ice sword. I quickly realized that she was just using aura's flow so that it would go into her sword. My aura acted like it had a mind of it's own and suddenly changed so that her sword got stuck. I was a bit afraid. I didn't even know if I was controlling my Aura anymore or if it had a mind of it's own. But for the time being, I decided it was probably better to not get too distracted from this fight.

Rai sent several more lightning bolts towards me. They cut through the aura puppet and actually hit me. I was smacked back into the tree. "You do know it just takes one well placed shot of lightning to the heart to kill a person." Rai laughed. "Even the smallest static shock could kill someone."

I had regained some movement to my arm. I just lifted it up and pointed a finger at Rai. "Thanks for showing me your technique a few times." I said. I then shot a bolt of lightning at Rai. He wasn't expecting the attack and was knocked back. When he got back up, he tried to attack me, however he found out what I had done. The aura attack had temporarily sealed away his energy.

"One down, two to go." I said.

Tei and Sui weren't amused. I just began to limp towards them.

"If this was anyone else, we'd be saying he was about to die." Sui said.

"This guy is getting scary." Tei said. "Just what the hell are you?"

"I'm just a normal human." I replied.

"That's impossible." Tei said. "A normal human would never be able to endure this much. A normal human wouldn't be able to master Aura. A normal person wouldn't of been able to endure that ritual. A normal person wouldn't have been chosen and been bestowed the power to travel between worlds. Just who the hell are you?"

_Chosen?_

I did want to question him on that word, but I doubted I was going to get the answers I needed.

"I don't know." I replied. "I'm just someone who wants to get back home."

They got ready to fight again. I held out my hand. I now had full control back over my body. I just looked at the two of them. "I'm ready to go all out." I said.

Tei got ready to fight again, but Sui stopped him. "Wait, let's just cut our losses today." Sui said. "Another opportunity will present itself. Besides, he still needs to get rid of The Reaper."

Tei seemed a little bit disappointed. "Very well then. Nugai, we'll find out who you really are, and we will make sure that you are locked away for life, or are killed." Tei said. "You can't fight us in the real world."

"Those are big threats coming from you." I said. "It sounds to me like you're just a bunch of sore losers. Go back, and cry at the Government. See if I care. I'll stop you, and Project Fantasia."

The three of them vanished, and I fell back. I let my awakened aura form go, and just began to breath in some air.

Suddenly, everything was blurry. I had used up far too much energy, I wasn't even sure if I could walk back to Smashville by myself.

"But how?" I asked. "I was positive I had more aura…"

I fell forwards onto the ground. I was nervous. Were they still there, watching me? Realizing that I had been bluffing. Would they come out and kill me now.

"Shit."

In my exhaustion, I blacked out.

* * *

"Project Fantasia?" The Reaper asked.

We were both younger, much younger. We were both sitting in front of a TV. "Yeah!" I said. "I think there might be some way to fuse together the two worlds! Just imagine, no boring school, we could live our lives full of adventure!"

He laughed rather amused by the idea. "We could do whatever we want 24 hours a day, go out into space."

We were young, we were naive.

"But how can we sustain a portal that big?" The reaper wondered. "Or even open a portal."

"What if we had a projector, like at the movie theater." I suggested.

He burst out into laughter at what was probably supposed to be a serious suggestion from me. "Oh come on, like they would let us hook up a console to their projector."

"There has got to be a way." I said.

* * *

I was lying face down in the forest. It was cold. Of course it was, it was the middle of winter. It's kind of like saying that water is wet. But near me I felt something warm.

Sitting down, on a log was someone. He had brown hair. He was currently just facing a fire. His shirt was just a t-shirt with a 1 on it. "It's cold out here." He said.

_Don't tell me that when you're dressed like that!_

"Come to the fire, it will warm you up." He said.

I just got up, and sat down beside him. I stretched out my hands. "Where did you come from?" I asked.

"Every person who enters into this world leaves a signature." He said. "Several years ago, someone came here, and I am the end result of his signature."

"Huh?" I just looked at him confused.

"When you enter into a game, there are two things that can happen. You and the player character can become one. Or, you displace the player character." He said.

"Wait how do you know all of this?" I asked. "Are you that checkerboard suit guy?"

"No, this is just a dream. I'm your subconscious. These were your theories." He said.

"So, you're me." I said.

"Yep." He replied.

I just sat there for a few seconds. "So, what's my real name?" I asked.

"That isn't important." He said. "You are you, and that's all that matters."

I just cringed. "I'm never going to find that out, am I?"

"It's pointless to just keep asking what your real name is." He said. "In the end that's all irrelevant. It's the journey that matters."

I looked at the fire. "I've changed haven't I?" I asked. "I've become a different person in here."

"Yes, and when you get out, the world is going to need Nugai, not the old you." He said.

I just nodded.

"Now then, I think it's about time for you to wake up…"

And then everything vanished.

* * *

When I awoke, I was being dragged back into Smashville. I looked at the person who was carrying me. It was Sonic. "Jeeze, what were you doing lying on the ground in the forest?" He asked.

He really just cut straight to the point…

"I was just too exhausted from using Aura." I replied.

He just nodded. "What would of happened if a bear or something found you?" Sonic wondered.

"I probably would have been dead." I replied.

Sonic just laughed. "Although I thought that one other guy was with you, what happened to him?"

"They won't be coming back." I replied.

"Why not?" Sonic wondered.

"They were from my world." I replied. "I had to chase them off. Otherwise well, who knows what was going to happen."

Sonic just glanced back at me. When we got to Smashville, the Smashers were all rather surprised that I was being carried by Sonic.

"Nugai, what happened?" Mewtwo asked.

"Rai, Tei, and Sui are what happened." I said.

"What?"

"They were actually from my world." I said. "I just don't believe this."

"What's going on?" Sonic wondered.

"None of this makes sense." I said. "I just don't believe this."

"Slow down." Mewtwo said.

I just looked up at Mewtwo and Sonic. "Your right." I said. "I'm not like Sonic, I can't rush through this."

Sonic just smiled. "Of course, not everyone is like me."

"Gather the Smashers, there is something I need to talk about." I said.

"Okay." Sonic said. And he was off.

Mewtwo just looked at me rather surprised. "What happened?" He asked.

"Just take me to the town hall." I said.

Mewtwo nodded, and we were both teleported to town hall.

I stood outside of the town hall, and waited for the Smashers to show up. One by one, they came. Each of them looking rather annoyed, after all, it was quite cold out, and it was only going to get worse since it was beginning to get darker. They were all looking at me, waiting for me to start my speech, each of them hoping that the reason I called them here was pretty bloody important so they could do whatever they wanted to do. Which main was be warm someplace, preferably inside. Zelda was keeping warm by having made a Din's Fire. Link was also keeping warm by having a fire arrow stuck in the ground, and just burning. Lucas, Ness had plumes of PK Fire. While Mario and Luigi had a fireball. Red had his Charizard out and was currently leaning over his tail.

"Hurry up!" Wario heckled.

"Is everyone here?" I asked.

"Yes!" Everyone groaned.

"Okay." I said.

I didn't know how to start this. And I seemed to remember that I was never really all that good at public speaking. "I called you all here today in regards to Project Fantasia." I said. "I have learned some rather dark things about it, I thought it was just a foolish kids idea, but now I think it's something far much worse. I have discovered that powerful people in my world would like to complete it. I had also learned that Rai, Tei, and Sui were working for those people."

"What?" All of the Smashers began to talk, each of them were rather shocked by this. I just stayed there, frozen in place.

"Project Fantasia is our two worlds fusing together perfectly." I said. "However, I believe that there are so many variables, so many small things that if they go wrong could result in everything being destroyed, that I would like to somehow stop it from ever happening. That's why, I come here asking you if you know any ways to make sure that I can permanently separate our two worlds?"

There was just silence. I didn't expect them to know. They were all talking amongst themselves, I began to wonder if they were even paying attention.

"I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but I may have a few ideas." Ganondorf said. "There are tons of myths about items that have the power to alter everything. Like the Triforce."

I smiled. It was at least something to go on. "Yes that's great, have you heard anything else Ganondorf?"

"There are supposedly 7 points that can alter the very fabric of existence." Ganondorf said. "This is just rumor and speculation, but if these seven spots are real, then you might be able to use them to permanently separate the two worlds."

I couldn't help but want to jump for joy. But I stopped myself upon realizing that Ganondorf just said it was rumor and speculation, there was no proof that these points even existed. "Well, we'll figure something out." I said. "But at least it's something to go on."

"Can we go back inside where it's warm now?" Wario asked.

"Yeah, fine." Master Hand said. "You're all dismissed."

I ran up to Ganondorf. "Thank you very much." I said.

Ganondorf just laughed. "Think nothing of it, I just remembered reading up about it a while back. They were called Akashic Points."

I nodded. "Akashic Points, I'll remember that."

Before going back to my house, I decided to go back to the train station. I found the spot from the morning that I was about to reach out for, but was interrupted by that stranger, and then Bowser. The place right now was rather creepy. It was dark, and there were no lights anywhere. I just placed my hand on the wall and was rather shocked to find out that it was solid.

I just sighed, rather defeated. I guess I would have to look over the place tomorrow when there was light.

I used aura, however only found a plaque the wall.

Smashville Train Station.  
The Center of the Universe.

I thought that sounded rather conceited. But I guess it made sense, for a village like this, the train was probably their lifeblood to the outside world.

I made my way back out to the outside, but I froze when I heard some people arguing.

"Master Hand, you have to restrict Nugai!" Mewtwo said.

I just froze, and put myself against the wall of the train station.

"Having him have his own independence like this is dangerous, he needs to be under constant watch!" Mewtwo said. "He went and confronted the Reaper today! And then, got rid of 3 people from his world."

"Three people that were working their way into our group for their own reasons, and if what Nugai said is true, I imagine they were going to fight and kill us, if we opposed Project Fantasia." Master Hand calmly replied. "He might of done us a favor."

"Not to mention, Sonic said that he found Nugai unconscious. The mole could of killed him while he was defenseless!" Mewtwo said.

I just froze. I didn't exactly expect to use up all of my aura like that... It would of been really quick and swift. No one would have known.

"Well, I think that Nugai has shown that he knows what he's doing and he won't betray us." Link said. "He's had all the opportunities to leave us behind, but he keeps fighting for us."

"Dr. Mario, you've been awfully quiet." Mewtwo said.

"I've just been thinking about the mole." Dr. Mario replied. "He would have known that Nugai was walking away with Tei out of Smashville. Why didn't he follow, and finish the job."

"What if he got orders?" Mewtwo asked. "As a favor for removing those three out of The Reaper's hair to let him live for now. Or that Nugai was off limits, and only the Reaper can now hunt him. Those are my two guesses."

I heard someone running up to them. "Hey, you guys." It was Falco. "Fox wants to show you all something."

"Can it wait?" Mewtwo asked.

"No, it's the conversation that Nugai and The Reaper had today." Falco said.

They all began to walk away. I used aura to make sure that they were all gone, and quickly ran back towards my house. I got in and just made my way up to my bed. I then just collapsed.

"Tomorrow is another day…"

* * *

**Notes:**

**Okay, I lied; I decided that there was something I could use the villager for. **

**Some more details about Project Fantasia. Stuff! And because I have a rather sick sense of humor, my Animal Crossing New Leaf town is called Fantasia.  
**

**Zenith wasn't going to be the name of the company. It's just every single other name I tried to come up with was all ready a name for a real company. Zenith was too... but I gave up at that point, and I figured it was generic enough.  
**

**Two of the hostages, Sara and Lauren, were references to the Troll fic: Supper Smash Bros: Missonah from God. For those who haven't read it, short version: there is a lot of subtext that Sara is madly in love with Lauren, no matter how much she tries to deny it. It was deleted off of this site, and can be found elsewhere.**


	28. Day 27: The last day of peace

**I lied again; I did find another spot for the Wii Fit Trainer... considering I had the Wii Fit Balance Board earlier in the story I think it makes sense.**

**Sadly I don't think there is a spot for Mega Man.**

* * *

Day 27: The last day of peace

I was in the train station. "Now departing for the Real World… This is your last call for returning to the Real World!"

* * *

I woke up and looked around my room. Something was telling me that today was going to be a nice day.

I did my normal morning routine, and then looked outside. Some fresh snow had blanketed Smashville. I just walked out. The sky was clear, there wasn't a cloud in sight. It was all just blank.

I wanted to go find a hill to toboggan down, then just come home and drink a bunch of hot chocolate. Everything was so pure. But, before I did anything like having fun, there was one thing I had to do.

I returned to the train station. This place constantly was drawing me to it. It even appeared in my dreams. I didn't quite understand it, but this place was somehow important.

Snow had blown into the train station and I walked around. There was nothing there. I pressed against the walls, and even went into the employee area, but there was nothing anywhere. Using aura showed me absolutely nothing. All the walls appeared solid. None of the lockers were hiding any secret passages.

"Well, that was useless." I said to no one. I began to make my way back outside. However from deep within the train station, I heard a train's whistle. I just rushed to where I thought I heard the sound. But the tracks were completely empty.

I tried using aura, but that showed nothing as well. I just sighed, and made my way out of the train station. I was now satisfied with my investigation of the train station, despite my hunches, it appeared to be completely normal. My only remaining lead was now looking for an Akashic Point. I was somewhat worried though, that the Smashers wouldn't let me out of Smashville again.

Off in the distance I saw a giant building. I walked up to it and was rather surprised to see that it was a giant stadium that was built on the outskirts of Smashville. There were several wireframes each wearing construction hats. One just quickly put one on me, and directed me into a finished area. It was a small gym. There were several weights, elliptical machines, those bikes, and off in the corner, there was currently Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, and a stark porcelain white woman that I had never seen before. She had dark grayish hair tied into a pony tail. She was wearing a blue tank top that exposed her stomach, it also had the words "Wii Fit" on it. She was also wearing yoga pants.

Currently they were all doing different yoga poses. The white woman was helping Peach and Zelda.

"Nugai!" Peach said. "What brings you here?"

I was a bit confused at how they saw me when they were facing away from me, but then I noticed that the whole room was kind of lined with mirrors. And then I felt like an idiot.

"I just saw this building and was curious what it was, and then the Wireframes led me into here." I replied.

They both nodded.

"Would you like to join us?" Zelda asked.

"Sorry, but..."

I however was unable to finish that sentence. The white porcelain figure just immediately came over and dragged me to them and began forcing me to do some Yoga poses. "I guess some wouldn't hurt." I said.

After 10 minutes of yoga poses I excused my self and made my way out of the place. Quite frankly, that white porcelain thing terrified me. I feared that I may have offended it, and it might be out for my blood...

I stepped outside the construction zone, and a wireframe took back the hard hat. I just made my way back into Smashville. I was actually quite impressed by those wireframes. Considering I didn't see that stadium yesterday, they worked really quickly, and silently…

I made my way to the Kid Smasher's house. They were all outside, around a giant mound of snow making a snow fort. "Want to help us Nugai?" Popo asked.

"Sorry." I said. "I have had far too much physical activity all ready today."

"Excuses." Ness scoffed.

The other kid Smashers seemed to nod.

"Maybe later." I said.

I just walked away. I don't know if it was the Yoga poses, or what, but my body was beginning to hurt all over. Realistically, the trainer was there helping me do the poses properly so nothing should have been strained. I just cringed as I stepped forwards.

_Damn it, what's going on?_

I found a bench and sat down. I began to breath in. After a few minutes the pain disappeared. I wondered if it was my body degrading. If that happened if I had to fight the Reaper again, then well, I'd probably be dead.

I just stayed on the bench and looked up at the sky. As my head came down, I saw something moving through Smashville. It was incredibly suspicious and also incredibly strange. It currently just looked like a giant blob of stuff. I got up and went closer to investigate. As I got closer I saw that it was a blanket monster!

I tried to use aura to see underneath all of the blankets, but, I figured the blankets were hiding the aura of the person.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The person underneath suddenly jumped a bit, rather surprised. I guess he couldn't hear me approach. He just removed some of the blankets covering his face. "It's me! Pit!" He said.

"Pit?" I said confused. Sure I had seen him around, but it was just way too weird. Why was he dressed like that? "Why are you dressed like that?"

Pit just sighed. "Let's get inside to talk." He said.

We made it to his house and we entered. He quickly began to remove the layers and layers of blankets. Soon I saw why. His wings were just there, and afterwards it was practically his bare back. "Normal clothing for you guys doesn't work on me." Pit said. "You have no idea how much of a pain it is getting into something that does have holes cut out for my wings."

I just nodded. "I see, so the blankets just draped over you just to keep you warm."

"Exactly." Pit said. "So, welcome to my home. Make yourself at home."

"Okay."

"I'm going to make some hot chocolate. Do you want any?"

"Yes please."

I just walked into his living room. The place was white. It had what appeared to be rather expensive marble on the floors and the walls. There were columns in the rooms. "I tried my best to make it look like Skyworld." Pit laughed. "It's my home away from home."

I walked around his living room. The place looked more like a tourist attraction, or a museum than an actual living room. Hanging on the walls was his bow. I just reached for it. I grabbed the bow, and it separated into two blades. I just practiced swinging them around a few times. Despite their look, they were really light. I put the blades back together, which was much easier than I thought it would be, and then put it back on the wall.

Also hanging on the wall was a mirror shield. I looked at myself in the reflection for a few seconds.

There was also a bunch of silver armor on a table.

I then soon found a scroll. It detailed something called the Miracle of Flight. It talked about a technique that could let you fly for five minutes.

"Here's the hot chocolate." Pit said coming in carrying two mugs. In both there were some marshmallows. "I hope you don't mind the marshmallows."

"No, not at all." I said taking the hot chocolate.

"They are the closest things that remind me of the clouds down here." Pit said rather cheerfully. He went over to some clouds and just jumped onto it like it was a sofa. "It was so nice of Master Hand to order in all these things for me."

Come to think of it, I had only seen Pit. I never had the chance to sit down and talk with him like this. I also sat on a cloud couch. It was amazingly soft, and seemed to immediately conform to my shape.

_I want this for my house…_

"So, Pit." I said. "What is it like to fly?"

Pit looked at me rather taken back. "I can't fly, at least not without assistance."

"But you have wings, and…"

Pit's happy attitude had quickly switched to a rather depressed one. "Yeah. I'm an angel that can't fly."

"I see." I said. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just saw the scroll over there talking about the miracle of flight, and jumped to conclusions."

Pit just nodded. "All I can really do is just stay flying for five seconds. A far cry to the limit of five minutes that the miracle of flight has." He showed me the technique. His wings glowed in a blue aura and for a few seconds he was flying. But soon it ended, and he was back on the ground.

I got up and read through the scroll a few times. I wondered if I could actually do something similar with aura acting as my wings, or creating my wings. Aura could be solid for a few moments…

"Would you mind if I tried it?" I wondered.

Pit just seemed to laugh. "Yeah try it." He said.

I just closed my eyes. I tried to think about the aura as wings on my back. When I opened my eyes, nothing was there. I could release the aura from my back, but for some reason I couldn't maintain it. After several attempts, and feeling light headed for using a good portion of aura I stopped.

"The biggest problem with me seems to be the amount of energy required." Pit sighed. "I don't have enough energy to maintain my flight for more than five seconds at a time. And if I try to force it, I quickly use up all the energy I do have. But one day I know I'll fly on my own."

"I hope you do fly on your own one day." I said. "Even if it is just for five minutes."

"Thanks Nugai." Pit laughed.

"By the way, what are those?" I wondered, pointing to the various objects on the wall.

"The Sacred Treasures." Pit said. "They used to be powerful objects from Skyworld that could vanish evil."

"Used to be?" I said.

"They are quite old." Pit said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they broke. At this point, they really only should be used as display items in a museum."

I nodded. "Can any person use the Sacred Treasures?"

"Not really." Pit said. "I'm sure the Goddess Palutena can, and I can, but you have to go through some trials to make sure that you're worthy of their power. And then they bond to you."

"I see. Pit, by any chance do you know anything about Akashic Points?" I asked.

"That's what Ganondorf was talking about yesterday, wasn't it?" Pit said. I just nodded. "I do know some things, but I believe that only Gods have the right to alter reality. Mortals, doing it never results in anything good."

"So, I guess, you're not going to tell me anything." I said.

"Correct." Pit replied.

"Not even if I told you that I think the Reaper found an Akashic point, and has been using it's power?" I wondered.

"Nugai, I've been told that power corrupts people." Pit said. "I'd rather not tell you about these things and have the possibility of you being corrupted. I also don't really know all that much about them, just that they exist and what they can do."

"I guess that's fair enough." I sighed. I was hoping that I could get some information about the Akashic Points. "Still, if The Reaper has the power of the Akashic Points, why isn't he using it? He could instantly alter reality to kill everyone."

"Our world is governed by many rules. One of the biggest is this, power comes at a price." Pit replied. "The price for that may be too great, and he decided to do it the old fashioned way."

I just nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best to remember that."

Pit just smiled. "I wish I could help you out, and answer your questions about the Akashic Points, but honestly, you probably know just as much as I do. Really the only other think I know is that the Akashic Points can only bond with one person at a time."

"So, only one person would be able to use their power at once? So, even if I find an Akashic Point, it can't be used against the Reaper."

"No, they are independent of each other." Pit said. "Just that if you find one that The Reaper has bonded with you can't bond with it, and he can't bond with the remaining 6."

"Would I be able to destroy that Akashic point then?" I wondered.

"You might, but considering it is something that bonds the world together it might be disastrous if any harm comes to it." Pit said.

"Thank you then." I said. I finished the hot chocolate, and left Pit's house.

I looked around Smashville, wondering who else I really hadn't talked to or been with that much since I got here. I wandered around, hoping to run into someone else to talk to or find. But they were all elsewhere. Probably inside their houses. I eventually just found myself at the museum. I went in and down to The Roost, however no one was there. I made my way back into the museums and I began to look through all of the exhibits.

Much to my surprise all of the exhibits had been donated by a single person. Fish, bugs, fossils… but every time I went to read the donor, a mosaic seemed to block the name. I figured it was the same as my mind doing the mental bleeping out of a name.

_Why can't I know my name!?_

It really frustrated me. It was something that everyone else took for granted. A simple real name. Something I wanted to know.

_I'm not just Nugai. I'm somebody. I've got a name, but why the hell can't I remember it!_

The words of that person who I met in my dream and claimed to be me rang through my head. "It's pointless to just keep asking what your real name is. In the end that's all irrelevant. It's the journey that matters. When you get out, the world is going to need Nugai, not the old you."

_I just want to know my name. Is that too much to ask for? All Nugai is, is just a placeholder…_

I just made my way through the museum looking at different things. And then I noticed a strange door. What memories I did have were quickly telling me that door wasn't there any time previously. I just walked up to it and opened it.

It was a library room. Just walls and walls filled with books. I looked around, but they just appeared to be books on archeology, and appraising objects, along with some minor history on Smashville, along with records of all the previous inhabitants, their names, family trees. I looked for mine, but there was nothing.

I walked out of the library and back into the museum. Having seen every single display, I just walked out back into Smashville.

I made my way to the Kid Smasher's house. They were still building their snow fort. "Hey, Nugai have you changed your mind?"

"Yeah."

I needed to do something constructive. I was instructed by Ness to start rolling a bunch of snowballs, and when I couldn't roll it because it was too heavy to call them, and they would come over and place it wherever they pleased.

After about five snowballs, they all rushed inside for food. I followed.

We got some nice vegetable soup. Although they seemed a bit annoyed that I was eating with them, and they wouldn't get as much.

They also had hot chocolate to help warm up. They all looked like they were having the time of their lives. And yet, it was beginning to annoy me. I was going to die unless I found the way home in less than 10 days. The Reaper was still at large. There was a mole in the Smashers, waiting to strike at any moment.

And they were all carefree.

Was it ignorance? Youth? Or something else?

"They live each day fully doing what they please." A voice said to me. "If they want to build a snow fort they go and build it. You were like that once too."

I could see the villager, the younger me, sitting across from me. If I was beginning to hallucinate him, I was really losing it.

"You decided to fill up the museum. No matter how many forgeries you got, you weren't deterred. No matter how many times you were stung by bees, no mater how many times the fish got away, you got back up on your feet and tried again."

"Hey, Nugai, you okay?" Popo shouted. "You seem like you're spacing out."

"I'm just tired." I said.

"You only made 5 snow boulders though." Ness said. "You don't have the right to be tired." He teased.

"It's just the exercising I did in the morning caught up to me." I lied. "I think I need to just go and fall asleep back home. "I'll help you out tomorrow."

"But by tomorrow it will all ready be done." Toon Link said.

"We'll show you the completed snow fort then." Ness smiled.

"I'll look forwards to it then." I laughed.

I got up out of the house, and made the way back to my own. I really was exhausted though. I entered the house and just made my way upstairs and collapsed on the bed.

I smiled. Today was nice. I wouldn't mind more days like it.

Sadly this was going to be the last day of peace…

* * *

**I seem to have a pattern of long chapter, short chapter... no idea why that is... Although in this case, I didn't really want a long chapter.  
**

**Notes:**

**Some references to Kid Icarus Uprising were there.**

**And I think that's it... See you next chapter.**


	29. Day 28: The Reaper, The Observer

**Welcome to a long chapter, 40,000+ words, before this site's inflated word count! I regret nothing! (And it still feels small compared to many of The Subspace Emissary's Worlds Conquest chapters.) I probably could have split it up into four chapters, but that would have broken the formatting, and my obsessive-compulsive side won out... He apologizes profusely.**

**Microsoft Word, Times New Roman: Font Size 12: Page Count: 100**

**I promise none of the remaining chapters will reach this length.**

**And I figure, I might as well give you an F-Bomb warning. I figure with the T rating I can at least get one in…**

**Otherwise, welcome to Reveals and plot!**

* * *

Day 28: The Reaper, The Observer, and The Beginning

I was floating in the air. I just looked around me, a blue sky, clouds, below was a road where there were plenty of vehicles at a stand still. I could see the after effects of an accident. The main part of it was a truck that had gone through the median on the highway, and collided with a car. Miraculously, or maybe not, it was only that single car that was hit.

"So, welcome to my death." A voice said.

I turned to face the Reaper who was also floating in air.

He just pushed off of the air and rushed towards me as he swung his scythe. I pulled out the beam sword and blocked his attack.

We both flew through the air and plummeted down to the world below.

* * *

I woke up, gasping for air. I braced for the impact, and then just froze. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was just a dream. Breathing a sigh of relief I got up and did my morning routine, and then began to make breakfast. There was suddenly a knocking at the door. I opened it, and then standing there was the Reaper. Behind him Smashville was in flames.

I was suddenly stabbed through the stomach by his scythe.

I woke up and did my morning routine…

The same sequence continued for at least ten times. Each time I was thinking that I was awake, but only realizing that it was a dream after the Reaper had stabbed me.

When I finally woke up, I looked at the ceiling wondering if this was just another dream, or if this was actually reality. After it actually took effort to get out of bed, I guessed it was reality.

I got up, strangely where I was stabbed in the dream, it hurt. As though I had stretched the wrong way in my sleep. I did my best to ignore it, and did my morning routine, eventually making my way into the kitchen. I decided this time I wasn't going to crash anyone's home for breakfast, and just went through the fridge.

It was now stocked with a bunch of eggs, milk, bacon, and some other things. I was about to reach in when there was a knocking at the door. I froze, thinking that it would once again be a dream.

I used aura to see a group of people behind it. Letting off a sigh, I went to the door and just opened it. Standing there was the kid Smashers. "Nugai!" they said rather excited. "Can you make us breakfast?"

I cringed. "Aren't you guys fully capable of doing that yourselves?" I wondered.

"Weren't you the times you leeched off of us?" Ness countered.

"Fine." I muttered. "Come in."

They entered and I just said that my plan was to make some bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. They all just nodded and began to make themselves at home. They wandered around my house, noting the various things that I had done with the place. "Where did you get this couch?" Ness shouted.

I didn't exactly have the heart to tell them that my house was all ready furnished.

"The dump." I joked. "I was surprised at the stuff that was there."

I used aura to watch their reactions. They suddenly seemed to jump off the couch and looked at it rather nervously. "It was a joke!" I shouted back. "You're probably not going to believe this, but I lived in this town before, and this was my house from back then." Of course from that time, I really did get it from the dump, but that's just a minor detail.

"What? Really!?" Ness said surprised, rushing into the kitchen.

"Well, that explains all the nice stuff." Popo said.

I just let off a sigh. "Can you guys help me make some toast and then butter it?" I wondered.

The two of them just nodded, and I returned my attention to the food that was cooking in front of me. Soon I had made what I hoped was enough bacon for everyone. "All right, how do you want your eggs?" I asked. "I was just planning on scrambled, but I can make others if you want."

"Scrambled is fine." Ness said.

"Same." Popo added on.

Lucas just looked at me a bit nervous. "I'll have an omelette if that's not too much trouble." He said.

I just nodded. "That will be fine." I said. "Anything in it?"

"Um… cheese, any fresh vegetables." Lucas said.

Toon Link and Red also wanted their eggs sunny side up.

_Can't you all just have decided on one type of egg… Ah well, I guess that's my fault, I did ask them._

I just began to make the various orders. I had called them as they were ready so some of the Smashers were all ready done and just waiting for the others to catch up. I had finally sat down at the table and was ready to eat when I saw that everyone was just looking at Lucas. "Is something wrong?" Ness wondered.

He had only cut off a single piece of the omelette. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. He could then no longer hold it back and he just began to bawl. He ran upstairs, and everyone could only just look at each other confused.

"I'll catch up with you guys later." Ness said. The others all just nodded, and left the house. We went up to the washroom. The door was closed. Inside we could just hear some sobbing.

Ness looked at me a bit confused. "Do you know what just happened?"

I just nodded. "Omelettes." I whispered.

"Omelettes?" Ness said confused.

"Like steak is your favourite food, his is omelettes." I said.

Lucas just opened the door and stared at the two of us. "I can hear you." He sobbed.

I just let off a sigh. "Lucas, what happened?" I asked. "It's just the two of us now, you don't need to worry."

He just took kleenex from the washroom, and blew his nose. "It tasted just like my mother's omelettes. It was so nice and fluffy…"

Our faces just suddenly drained of a bit of color. "Oh." We said shocked.

"And all of us eating together, at a table, it felt like we were a family for a few minutes." Lucas sobbed.

What came next was just natural. I just embraced Lucas and patted him on the back. "It's okay Lucas, let it all out." I said, not even caring that my shirt might be used as a kleenex. "Listen, Lucas. Living is not just the good times. There are also the bad times. But with every experience, we grow into a different person, hopefully for the better."

If there was anything holding him back before, he let go and just began to cry. Soon he had finished crying. "Okay just wash up, compose yourself and then come back downstairs and finish your food. It would be a waste." I said.

He nodded, and Ness and I made our way back down.

We just sat down; I looked at my food and tried to eat it. The eggs had lost some of their heat, but it didn't really matter. Food was still food.

"I can't believe something like that triggered him." Ness said.

I just nodded. "Everyone is different." I replied. "I'm sure if you lost your mother things would cause you to tear up. Memories can come back at any moment, without any warning."

Ness just nodded.

Lucas made his way downstairs and began to finish his omelette. When he was done, tears were still welling up in his eyes.

"Now then." I sighed. "Just stay here until your ready." I just took the plate into the kitchen and began to do the dishes. I left Ness and Lucas alone for several minutes. I heard them talking over some stuff, but I was only getting bits and pieces.

"I heard that the stadium is built."

"Let's have a fight later." Ness said. "There is also a new exercise room."

"I wonder if they have the Olympic sized swimming pool filled yet."

"What do you want to eat later?"

I eventually finished the dishes and went back. Lucas was just still sitting at the table. Ness had now moved down to a couch.

"All right." I said. "Lucas, do you still need some alone time?"

"No." He said. "I'm fine."

"That's a lie." I replied. "We're staying with you today."

Lucas just cringed. He walked over and just sat down on the couch and we turned on the TV. And once again, there was absolutely nothing on that was even worthwhile to watch. As we scanned through the TV shows, we tried to find something to cheer Lucas up. But there was really nothing.

Ness just sighed. "How about we play those games again?" He asked.

I cringed. "Sure." I said. Not really wanting to play and rather just look for a way out or something...

We turned on the Wii, and began to play some Brawl. I was just constantly thinking about how surreal this whole experience was. I was playing SSBB, with actual characters from the game in real life. They were playing as themselves.

After several rounds it became apparent that Lucas was having a hard time constantly focusing on the game. "Nugai." He said, probably taking several minutes to actually build up the courage to speak. "Can we switch to something else?"

"Sure." I said.

Ness also seemed to agree. "What else is there?" he wondered.

"Not much." I replied. "I've got Wii Sports, and WarioWare I think that's it for three player multiplayer games."

"Well, let's go outside then." Ness sighed. "There's got to be something we can do out there."

We nodded. I couldn't help but feel that I was betraying everything I stood for. Not playing video games, instead going outside and getting fresh air!? Blasphemy!

It also probably didn't help that there wasn't all that much to actually do out there either. We just ended up walking around Smashville, until Ness began talking about the snow fort that they were making. "Nugai, you've got to come and see it!" Ness said.

"I don't really want to." I said.

"Come on!" Lucas said. "We've all been working hard on it, you should see it too, before the snow melts."

"It's changed so much since you were there yesterday." Ness added on. "Popo decided to stay up rather late to work on it."

I was eventually dragged to the snow fort that they were making. I was honestly just expecting a bunch of boulders lined up against each other to make a giant wall or enclosed space. But rather it was just a giant pile of snow, and several boulders blocking a hole. Ness, Lucas and I all entered the hole, having to crawl on our hands and knees. We eventually came to a single large room. "Welcome to our fort Nugai." Ness said.

I looked around the room. It was just a hollowed out snow bank. There seemed to be what appeared to be benches carved out of the walls. I went over to the walls a bit concerned if this was actually safe. I tapped the walls, and was rather surprise that it was coated with a bit of ice.

It wasn't long before we heard more voices. Entering into the snow fort was more of the kid Smashers.

"I thought you said you were going to catch up with us." Toon Link said a bit annoyed.

"I did." Ness said. "I just figured you guys would be here."

They rolled their eyes and just sat down on either the benches or the ground. With all of them in here, it was also quickly getting much hotter. We found ourselves removing our heavy winter jackets. "We need something else in here." Ness said.

"We should get a TV." Popo suggested.

I was going to question how they would get it in, and protect it from the elements, but they have proven to be resourceful in the past, so I thought this would be the same.

"How about a board game?" Toon Link suggested.

I must have looked a bit confused.

"Yeah, that would be great." Red said. "I'll go get one."

He quickly rushed out. The other Smashers also were getting ready. Popo placed has hand on the ground and made a giant chunk of ice to act as a table. We all sat around it, just sitting on our jackets. Soon Red came back with some towels and a box. Inside the box was the board game. They quickly began to set it up.

"Um, what's the game called?" I wondered.

"Dokapon Kingdom." Red replied.

"How do you play?" I asked.

"You're about to find out." They were setting up a board, and began to take out several figurines. I guessed they were the pieces. There were 8 colors, and multiple figurines of the same color, but wearing different clothes. The board just looked like a map of a world. There was different kind of spaces; Red just began to put cards down on allocated spots. And then they all rushed for various figures. I was told that at the start of the game you could only choose between 3 figures and you got the others later. The end result was this:

Popo - Yellow Thief

Red - Red Warrior

Toon Link - Green Warrior

Lucas - Blue Magician

Ness - Black Magician

Nugai - White Thief

I can't say I really understood the rules. We were going around to various towns on the map, beating monsters and then putting a token on them to claim it as our own. I couldn't keep track of what was going on, but I was pretty sure I was losing.

The others all seemed to be getting frustrated. "Popo, you jerk!" Ness shouted out loud. I quickly learned that when a thief passes another person they get to steal an item in their hand. Soon the game devolved into shouting insults at the top of their lungs. I was thinking it was a wonder that the board game wasn't just tossed aside in frustration.

"Well, sorry Ness, but you gotta be careful."

"I'll show you careful. You're going to get burned really quickly!" Ness snapped back.

There was suddenly a loud explosion, followed with what sounded like glass shattering. All of the kid Smashers just looked around with both an expression of panic and confusion.

"What was that?" Ness asked.

I tried to use aura to see, but the snow just acted as a block. All of the Kid Smashers rushed for the entrance. I'm pretty sure, Toon Link 'accidentally' knocked the board game off of the table in the process.

I was the last one out of the snow fort. It was actually rather difficult to get out since, they all froze and stopped moving forwards as soon as they got out. After forcing my way out, I could see why. Up in the sky there was a projection of the Reaper, just over looking Smashville.

"I want you all to know, no matter where you hide, or where you go, I will always be able to find you!" The Reaper shouted. It echoed through out every corner of Smashville. "Don't think you can elude me! I will hunt you each down and kill you all!"

And then the projection disappeared.

I was shaking. I thought I was used to this feeling of fear, but it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was like I knew beforehand that he was always holding back, and always not putting forth any actual effort. It was like I knew that this time he was dead serious.

I could feel the guillotine fall. The wind whistling as the slab of iron came down right by my neck.

The next thing I knew was that I was on the ground and the Reaper's scythe was in the snow bank.

Was it pure luck? Did my body instinctively react on only the desire to survive, or did I slip on ice? Did he actually push me to do this as a warning? It was at that moment that I knew, he was no longer holding back.

Everything played out in slow motion. The kid Smashers all turned slowly back to see the Reaper standing over me with the scythe stuck in their fort. "Nugai, it ends today!" He said. "I have to kill you, it's my only choice."

Perhaps it was just dumb luck, but the scythe was somehow stuck in the snow bank. Not that it lasted long, the scythe let out a pulse of energy that caused a chunk of the snow bank to explode. What was left of the hollowed out fort underneath had collapsed on itself.

Popo was the first to react; he grabbed his hammer out of somewhere and jumped into the air. "REAPER! YOU WILL PAY!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He swung his hammer down, but the Reaper blocked the attack with his scythe. There was suddenly a strange ripple in the air. The next thing I knew was that the Reaper was encased in ice. Popo landed on the ground, not at all looking amused. "Sorry, but for what you just did, I won't hold back, not even for a second. We slaved away on that fort and for you to just destroy it is unforgivable!"

Everything about Popo had changed. The ice that the Reaper was encased in began to crack, and he quickly broke free sending the shards towards us.

"It's going to be our last stand!" Toon Link shouted, jumping in front with his shield blocking a good portion of the shards.

"I see, so you all wish to die protecting Nugai." He said. "Very well, I can grant you that wish."

Popo swung his hammer. Once again the ripple in the air appeared, this time an ice bolder appeared, and just flew right for the Reaper. It hit him and sent him flying back. "Sorry, but out here during the winter, I'm at my strongest." Popo said. "I don't need Nana to tear you apart!"

Ness ran for the Reaper with his baseball bat out. He swung it towards the guy who could only block with his scythe. He just looked frustrated at the kid psychic.

I didn't know what was going on. Why was the Reaper allowing the attack to hit him again?! In theory none of us should have even been able to scratch him...

The Reaper jumped into the air. He just began to rapidly spin his scythe. "Festival of Blood!" he shouted. Blades of air began to rush out towards everyone, they did their best to avoid them, but it was quite clear what was going on. The blades of wind would immediately cut up the ground upon touching it; it would cleanly take off a limb if it hit one of us.

I just activated my awakened aura state and jumped towards him. The blades of wind that hit me, only made minor scratches against my enhanced defences. I managed to get up close to him and just put my hand on his chest. And then, I sent a force palm right through him. He flew down into the ground and skidded across it. He then began to get up, coughing. He glared at me, before finally beginning to throw up. Mixed in with the vomit was some blood. I made sure to quickly deactivate my awakened aura state. Considering what happened the previous times I used it, it probably was a good idea.

"Nugai." He laughed. "You really are a pain in the ass. It was the right choice to bring you here! You've made everything so interesting."

A stream of fire suddenly rushed towards him. The Reaper just quickly grabbed his cloak and used that to shield himself. I glanced over to see Red with Charizard out. The look in Red's eyes was a rather serious one. There was no softness that I had seen previously, it was only the eyes of someone who had seen countless battles. When the flames died down, the Reaper just jumped out of the fire, his cloak didn't even have a singe on it.

"Now, Solar Beam!" Red ordered.

A beam of light shot towards the Reaper. It hit his cloak blasting through it, and hitting his hip. The Reaper fell down onto the ground and began to struggle to get back up. His cloak began to also magically repair itself.

Lucas suddenly attacked the Reaper, using his wooden stick. He actually managed to hit the Reaper on the side of the head, and there was a rather loud crack sound. Lucas quickly jumped back and The Reaper tried to stand up. He was clearly having great difficulty keeping himself oriented. To him, the world must have been spinning.

"It's quite a different story when we're outside, isn't it?" Ness said.

No enclosed space, we had all the range, we didn't have to worry about tripping over each other. Popo said he could fight at full strength, I guess with his ice attacks at room temperature they would begin melting or something when he fought normally.

The Reaper just began to laugh. His hand reached up to where Lucas had hit him, and then he just looked at his hand for several seconds. On it was blood. "No, nothing is different." The Reaper said. "I've been letting you hit me! Just to feel the satisfaction, to think that you idiots would be capable of taking me down, so you could think you could make progress, just so when you begin to despair and realize how hopeless it really is, it would be much sweeter!"

He placed his hand on the scythe. Suddenly it began to glow with a red aura. "Besides, I needed to bleed a bit to unlock my scythe's true power."

Whatever aura was emanating from that scythe, it was a cursed one. It was evil. It felt like that in a moment it would come and consume us all. "Today, the Smashers die!"

There was a sudden burst of his aura. He was letting off a great amount of bloodlust.

Popo swung his hammer once again, however the Reaper just blocked the attack. This time hitting the head of the hammer with the wooden stick of the scythe. Suddenly two ripples in the air collided, and Popo was sent flying back by an explosion of ice.

The Kid Smashers looked in shock and confusion. "What just happened?!" Ness said.

I could only look at it in shock. "It's music." I said. Everyone just glanced at me confused.

"Care to explain?!" Ness said, jumping over a slash from the scythe.

I didn't exactly know what I was trying to say. But it made sense to me. "Think of it like hearing a complicated song on the radio, and then being able to play it perfectly within a few tries." I said. "That's the best way I can think of explaining it, but he used to have a musical talent, where he could play the exact notes after hearing it once. Think of that applied to fighting techniques!"

Lucas just looked rather shocked. "No way." He muttered.

"So, he could copy nearly any attack?" Toon Link said. "Well then, in that case, let's see him copy this!"

He pulled out a bow and arrow, and attacked a bomb to the end of it. He then launched it towards the Reaper. He swung his scythe, and upon impact it exploded. "Don't be stupid." The Reaper said. "Of course I can't copy any attacks that require items unless I have them too."

"Charizard!" Red shouted.

A torrent of fire rushed for The Reaper, he just jumped up into the air and then rushed for Red. "My first victim!" He shouted swinging his scythe.

I jumped between them, drawing, and activating my beam sword.

I was able to block it with the beam sword, but it quickly became apparent that he was much stronger. I was suddenly sent flying away. The few seconds I had stalled the Reaper was enough for Red to have Ivysaur unleash a solar beam at point blank. This one actually hit the Reaper and forced him back. Squirtle followed up with a skull bash when Ivysaur's solar beam was over. The Reaper just looked at Red.

"PK Fire!" Lucas shouted. The Reaper was suddenly hit by the PK Fire. The attack began to burn him.

I got back up off of the ground and just began to rush towards The Reaper. I knew he couldn't keep track of all of us at once; right now we had the complete advantage. I jumped into the air and brought down the beam sword to try and cut him in two. He however quickly brought up his scythe to protect himself. I landed on the ground and we begun to try and overpower the other. Both of us just glaring at each other and not wanting to give up. "What's wrong, Nugai? Where is that spark? Weren't you going to try and kill me, or something? I'm fighting with everything I have, so should you! Or do you still think that there is someway to resolve this without violence?"

No, I wasn't that naive. All I knew was that something had changed since the last time we had talked.

"What happened?" I asked. "You said you would wait for me to find a solution."

"I never said that, I said that I would continue going about my own way until you found another sure fire way." The Reaper said. "I was watching you though, I saw you got rid of 'Dave' but yesterday you practically squandered everything! If you won't go out and find this so called way on your own, I'll force you to!"

"Stop this." I said. It was clear that the chance for that had ended a long time ago. But, I was still hesitating. I still couldn't bring myself to hurt him; he used to be my friend. Any time I tried to attack, I would just remember things from years ago, the times we spent together, the good, the bad. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

And for that reason, I was forced back.

"FALCON PUNCH!" A voice shouted.

Rushing towards the Reaper was Captain Falcon. The Reaper turned around only to be greeted with a Falcon Punch sending him flying and skidding across the ground.

Everyone stared at him a bit shocked.

"Captain Falcon." The Reaper said, getting back up. "That really hurt!"

"That was kind of the idea." Captain Falcon replied.

The Reaper suddenly rushed right to Captain Falcon and swung his scythe with the intention of cutting off his arm. I stretched out my hand and caught the blade of the scythe with my bare hand. Even though it was reinforced with Aura, his blade still cut into it.

"Please stop." I said.

"Do you really want to lose your hand? Don't you have video games that you want to play with it, once you get back to the real world?" The Reaper said.

An ice boulder suddenly went for the Reaper. He was hit by it and went flying back. He just looked frustrated. I grabbed my hand to try and assess the damage. There was just blood. I couldn't see the cut underneath it, but I could still move my fingers.

"This is getting annoying." He said. "I know more will arrive..."

As if on cue more and more Smashers had arrived. "Good, you're almost all here." he laughed. "That will make everything so much easier!"

Pikachu was just glaring at me "I thought you said he wasn't going to bother us for a while!"

"He didn't, yesterday." I muttered.

"That's not funny!" Pikachu said.

"I wasn't trying to be..." I replied. Soon all of the other Smashers had arrived.

The Reaper just began to laugh. "This is going to be great!" He laughed. "Welcome to your deaths! All of you in one little area just to watch each other die one by one."

Link, Marth, and Roy all rushed for the Reaper. A smile just crossed his face. They all quickly slashed their swords at him, but he did something to block the attack, and then all three of them passed him. It took a few seconds for them to react, they suddenly were cut down, and lying on the snow. Their clothes were cut, and blood was pouring out.

In the Reaper's hand was a pure red sword. "Three down, whose next?" He wondered.

I froze. Was he intentionally getting hit, just to buy time so that everyone was gathered here?

"I was getting tired of trying not to kill you all." He said, as though he could read my mind. "Have you ever tried fighting someone while simultaneously trying to not reveal that you're acting and you could kick their ass in a second? It's really freaking hard."

Pikachu and Pichu fired off their Thunderbolts. However they seemed to hit a barrier, and were stopped at least 3 meters away from him. Captain Falcon quickly rushed towards him, passing through the spot where the barrier was, and towards him. He pulled back his arm to ready himself for a punch. But the Reaper just quickly cut off his right arm.

It took everyone a few seconds to realize what had just happened. Captain Falcon just kept on going, and then froze. He looked at where his arm was supposed to be and then at his arm on the ground. He then reached for the gun on his holster and fired it rapidly at the Reaper. However each bullet was hit by something in midair from the Reaper to stop it. When he had emptied his clip he rushed for the Reaper, however he was quickly cut in half!

"Captain Falcon!" I found myself shouting.

The other Smashers were all in shock. "No way!"

The Reaper just went over to Roy, Marth and Link, and stabbed all three of them with his red sword. "That's four of you Smashers dead." He said.

I just rushed for the Reaper. If I was holding anything back before, it was now gone. That kid in my memories was brutally murdered, just like the four Smashers in front of me. I swung the beam sword right at him, and he blocked with both the scythe and the strange sword. For this single attack I used all the strength that my body could muster to try and push him back.

"It looks like I finally got you to snap!" The Reaper said with a rather twisted smile. "How many more do I get to kill, or are you actually going to be able to stop me?"

He was teasing me. This asshole was teasing me, using all of the Smashers lives as bait. Just dangling it in front of me like some cat toy.

_I'll kill you!_

"I won't let you!" I unleashed a burst of aura, tossing the Reaper up into the air. He just laughed and suddenly seemed to push off of thin air and rocketed towards the area behind me. I turned around to see him cut through Toon Link, Mario, and Pit in one single swing.

"Seven."

Peach and Zelda began to scream in terror, and then they were suddenly shot. All anyone saw was just red spots on their dresses, and then the red spots began expanding. The two of them fell down dead.

"Nine."

Bowser was furious and rushed for the Reaper, suddenly growing several times his size and curling up into a spiked ball. He rushed for the Reaper as fast as he could, and the Reaper just stood there, simply stretching out his arm and stopping Bowser in his tracks. There was suddenly electricity coming from the Reaper, shocking Bowser. Soon Bowser uncurled, and just remained a smoking husk.

It was apparent how he had gained the name Reaper. Bringing death upon anyone and everyone. The Smashers knew this. I should have known this.

Ganondorf had transformed into Ganon and rushed for the Reaper. He slashed his scythe, but Ganon jumped into the air and suddenly appeared right behind him, charging into him and knocking him up into the air. The Reaper turned around and tried to cut him, but Ganon used his tusks to block the scythe. The Reaper tried to send his sword right into Ganon's skull, but Ganon quickly vanished once again. It took the Reaper several seconds to readjust. Suddenly Ganon came crashing down on the Reaper. The Reaper managed to roll out of the way, but it was clear that he was rather nervous.

Then he just smiled. Something about it was like he was taking it as a challenge. Ganon charged for him again. This time the Reaper ran for Ganon, and when it looked like they were going to collide, he just slid underneath him. Ganon fell to the ground and began to let out a cry of pain. Everywhere underneath him had been cut up by the Reaper's sword and scythe.

"And that's another one gone." The Reaper said. "Are we at eleven now?"

"What are you? Two?" Ness taunted. "Don't you know how to count?"

"I know how to count." The Reaper said. "It's just getting a little difficult with ten fingers now. And I didn't want to take off my shoes since being in the snow barefoot would be a bit stupid." He went over to Captain Falcon's cut off arm. "Ah, this will do until we reach 16."

The Smashers just all were getting upset. He was taunting them.

Ganon transformed back into Ganondorf. "I'm not gone yet!" Ganondorf said, drawing a sword. The Reaper just looked rather bored at him. He stepped forwards and disappeared; only reappearing behind Ganondorf a second later. Ganondorf then fell down dead.

"You were doing much better when you were all attacking me at the same time." The Reaper said. "Just attacking me one at a time is stupid, and you should know this. Or is this just the fake chivalry that you've been programmed with? Idiots."

I ran for the Reaper. My beam sword and his weapons clashed once again.

"Programmed?" I snapped. "They are real, just like us!"

"Is that what you believe?" The Reaper wondered. "This must be really painful for you…"

"How many more do you have to kill?" I shouted.

"Until you're all dead." The Reaper replied. "Until each and every last one of you is gone, or until one of you manages to kill me."

"Why!?" I shouted.

"With my blood, I made a pact with my weapon." He said. "That I kill all of you Smashers, or I die! Now Nugai, watch as one by one all of the Smashers die!"

"I won't let you!" I shouted back.

"You're all ready too late for several of them!" He laughed. "Now, are you actually going to try and stop me, or are you just going to continue to spout generic lines. Or are you just going to run away and cower in fear?"

I was forced back by a wave of energy. He looked around at the rest of the Smashers, it was quite clear to tell what he was thinking, who was going to be his next target. I just ran to him, trying to stop any more of this senseless slaughter. He looked at me rather surprised.

"You're getting weaker." The Reaper said.

"Stop it!" I pleaded.

"I can't." He replied, hitting me with the wooden staff part of the scythe, the snatch. "I want you to see how hopeless it is, how much of a slaughter it will be if I don't do this my way."

"You'll murder millions!"

"It's the same result." He said. "It's our side, their side, or a combination of both. What is going to be your choice?"

"I'll fight for this side!" I shouted.

"How unfortunate."

Several lasers shot at us. Up in the sky were Fox, Falco, and Wolf in their ships, two Arwings and a Wolfen. The Reaper just let off a rather bored sigh. "Looks like we have our next volunteers." He laughed, jumping up into the air. There were suddenly three explosions. The remains of the ships rained down upon us. We were able to dodge most of the major stuff, but there were still a few Smashers who got hit by a bit of shrapnel.

Dr. Mario had rushed over to Ike who had a giant chunk of the Arwing in his leg. He reached to help him, but The Reaper quickly killed both of them.

"No, no!" I muttered. This was so unceremonious. Everything was instant. They were just being slaughtered. I didn't know what to do. Everyone was just dying.

Meta Knight flew towards the Reaper. Sword and scythe clashed, but it was easy to see that Meta Knight would eventually be overpowered by the Reaper. The Reaper brought down his sword, however Meta Knight used his dimensional cape to appear behind the Reaper and slash him across his back.

The Reaper actually cried out in pain. He swung his scythe at Meta Knight who blocked the blow and was sent flying away. But Meta Knight came rushing right back, constantly dodging each and every one of the Reapers attacks and attacking various spots on his body. But no matter how clean the hit, the Reaper didn't actually seem hurt. He was always ready to continue battling.

"How?" I questioned. "He shouldn't be able to do this."

The other Smashers were equally nervous. Each of them just hoping that Meta Knight would be able to do something before The Reaper claimed any more casualties.

"Meta Knight, let me help you!" Kirby said getting a sword out of nowhere. He jumped up to clash with The Reaper as well. King Dedede also jumped up into the air and brought his hammer down upon The Reaper's back, with enough force to send him down into the ground.

The Reaper was shocked, and didn't expect what was coming next. Before he even had a chance to recover, King Dedede landed on his back. He let out a cry of pain, as King Dedede stomped up and down on him. I had to admit, it was brutal, but it seemed to be effective. Meta Knight and Kirby had their swords ready, and pointing down. They then began to spin around in a circle so that it looked like the two of them were a drill coming down, aiming directly for the Reaper's head.

They landed and there was a large explosion of snow, blocking all of our views. There was just silence, and then the snow that was stirred up quickly began to settle. The Reaper had moved his scythe to knock King Dedede off of him, move slightly, and block the sword attack from Kirby and Meta Knight. But it was quite clear that it took its toll on him. The metal blade of his scythe now had a crack on it.

The Smashers were clearly trying to hide their joy that his precious weapon had been damaged. The Reaper however just looked at the crack, running his fingers over it a few times. "Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede. You three are the next I'm dragging into hell!"

I rushed for him with my beam sword; I attacked the scythe where the crack was with the intent of breaking it. He however blocked the attack with his sword. "Are you getting tired of this, Nugai? Because I certainly am! You're the last one I'm going to kill!"

He delivered a kick into my side with enough force to send me flying. I skidded across the snow, a few rocks also cutting me a bit. When I stopped sliding, Ness and Lucas quickly rushed to my side. They helped me get back up.

I saw the Reaper rush for Kirby, Meta Knight and King Dedede. The three of them were going all out against the Reaper. The Reaper was doing his best to keep all three of them in his vision at once, so King Dedede didn't get behind him once again. "He's strong." I muttered.

"Yeah." Ness said. "It's hard, but we can definitely beat him."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive." Ness said.

King Dedede swung his hammer, and it hit the Reaper's scythe. The tip of the blade then got stuck in King Dedede's hammer. Nana and Popo quickly saw this as an opportunity to attack. They brought their hammers down upon The Reaper's back, causing him to lose grip of his scythe. King Dedede quickly backed away from them and quickly tried to detach the scythe from his blade. The Reaper knocked the two kids off of him and just looked frustrated at the five of them. He suddenly let off a paralysing aura. He looked around at all of the Smashers.

"You've all made one mistake in fighting me." He said. "You thought that without my scythe I would be defenceless. But that isn't the case."

He stretched out his arms. And then, from his arms came two more blades, curved like the scythe blades, these were red. "No way!" Mewtwo shouted. "Everyone get away from him!"

"It's too late." The Reaper said. "You should have noticed sooner with the sword that I was able to summon out of nowhere."

I was trying to figure out what those blades were. Where they came form? They couldn't be concealed, not even in his cloak. That color of red too was also disturbing me. It looked exactly like blood... No, it was blood!

"No way! His blood is a weapon?" I said

Ness and Lucas glanced at me.

"That's correct, Nugai." The Reaper said. "To achieve my goals I made every part of my body a weapon and capable of killing. I learned how to control my blood, and solidify it so that it could become a blade. So that if I was ever disarmed, it wouldn't mean anything. If someone shot me, I could just quickly harden my blood so that it would act as a bulletproof vest. You get the idea."

"So your blood has been acting as armor." I said.

"Precisely." The Reaper said. "I figured, once I returned to my world, there would be those who were against me for what I did to this world. Zenith, and yourself included. While I was ready to take your scorn, I was going to make sure that Fantasia would never be possible by destroying those behind it. I went everywhere across this world searching for any techniques that I could learn. Aura, fighting, even manipulating blood. To just transform my body into a weapon."

I was shaking. He was determined; he was ready to do whatever it took. And meanwhile, I was just here trying to enjoy my times with the Smashers.

"Oh, well." The Reaper said. "I guess it's time to continue our battle." He rushed for King Dedede and cut through him using his two blood scythes. "Long live the king." He muttered. He looked at his scythe and just picked it up off of the ground. One swing of it was able to get the hammer out. He just swung the scythe around several times, this time he put it into King Dedede's body. The scythe actually seemed to be drinking the blood, and the crack that was on it healed.

Meta Knight rushed towards the Reaper frustrated. The Reaper also charged for him. The two clashed and the Reaper began to walk away, fully expecting that Meta Knight was dead. However, all the damage that the Reaper had done just cut Meta Knight's mask into three parts.

Not expecting it, Meta Knight was able to slash the Reaper's back. He let out a cry of agony and just turned to face Meta Knight. Without his mask, he looked just like a blue Kirby.

"You will pay." Meta Knight said.

"Killing me won't bring back the Smashers, or will it Nugai?" The Reaper laughed. "Tell me do you think the Status Quo will kick in and erase any memories of the slaughter that happened, and just replace those that fell today?"

Meta Knight swung his sword right at The Reaper's head. He blocked the attack with his scythe. Much to Meta Knight's shock.

"It will be just like last time!" He laughed. "Where is that Lucario anyways?"

He looked at Lucario and just rushed for him. Lucario tried to create something out of aura, but it was quickly cut through and he was cut in half.

"How many more?" The Reaper laughed. "They're dieing like animals, and it's all your fault Nugai."

I was shaking in anger. I was ready to charge at him, however Ness and Lucas still were holding on to me, making sure I didn't budge. "He's trying to get you to react." Ness said. "Stay calm."

"I can't." I said.

"Endure it." Ness said. His grip was tightening. He was frustrated as well. He was doing his best to hold back some tears.

"I'll try my best." I said. "But I can't make any promises…"

Nana and Popo were constantly sending ice boulders at the Reaper, he however was just cutting through them like they were nothing. Meta Knight and Kirby were constantly attacking him, dancing circles around him. Pit was beginning to fire light arrows at the Reaper. All of them hitting. When the Reaper tried to weave away, either Kirby or Meta Knight would attack him causing him to go back to where he was originally, or the light arrow would actually move to hit him. Pikachu and Pichu were also throwing thunderbolts at him.

The Reaper just looked at all of the Smashers that were attacking him at once. The twisted smile on his face made it clear that he was enjoying it. Probably wondering who would slip up first. Him or someone else.

Ivysaur unleashed a solar beam at the Reaper. It had completely disrupted the rhythm that he was used to and the results were devastating. He was hit with the attack, followed by Meta Knight and Kirby going all out with their swords at him. Nana and Popo then summoned a giant iceberg to smash him with, and Pit's barrage of light arrows didn't stop.

It seemed that no matter how overpowering and destructive as the Reaper was with one versus one; against a bunch of Smashers he was no match for their teamwork. Kirby finished off the attack with pulling a giant sword out of thin air, and then he swung the sword down. The ground now had a rather noticeable cut through it, and the Reaper was standing there with his scythe in front of him, it had blocked the majority of the attack. He was breathing heavily, but his cloak was tattered.

"That hurt." He finally said.

"That was the idea!" Kirby replied. "I don't think you're going to be able to withstand another ultra sword!"

"You're going to have to be able to use it." The Reaper said.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Kirby smiled.

The Smashers were monsters, I don't think there was any nice way to put it, even though their comrades had died, they kept on fighting. To me, it seemed like I was the only one having rather human emotions out of all of them.

The brief moment of peace that the Reaper had was, well, brief. ROB fired a laser at him, and the whole dance of moves began once again. I could only watch as he weaved in and out of the constant barrage of attacks, only being hit by at least Pit's moves.

But with every passing second it was becoming more and more apparent that everyone was getting tired. Yoshi threw an egg at the Reaper and it exploded. It caught him off guard, and the combo happened once again. A solar beam from Ivysaur, several sword slashes from Kirby and Meta Knight, a giant ice berg from Nana and Popo, Pit's arrows and then everything was finished up with another ultra sword.

This time however The Reaper blocked the Ultra sword with his scythe and two blood scythes. He just ran up the sword cutting it constantly with all three and then he reached past Kirby. He stopped, and just began to breath heavily. Several seconds later the ultra sword began to fall apart, and Kirby was cut through. But the Reaper's blood scythes and his scythe shattered. He fell on the ground and began to gasp for air.

Meta Knight saw this as an opportunity to end the battle. He rushed for the Reaper once again, but his movements were far too sluggish due to fatigue. The Reaper just took the remains of his scythe, and swung it down. The chipped part of the blade hit Meta Knight and forced him down into the ground. The Reaper just pulled out the remains of the scythe and quickly cut up Meta Knight. With each strike, it seemed like the scythe was growing bigger, and repairing itself.

All the other Smashers just looked horrified. Now not knowing what to do. If the Smashers were monsters, the Reaper was something much bigger, stronger, and more terrifying than a monster. His levels of endurance were unreal. I had thought that because of the blood he was using as a weapon, he wouldn't of been able to get oxygen to his system fast enough, and it might of been a way to beat him but those hopes were quickly dashed.

Several more ice boulders rushed for him. He just cut through them and began to make a slow trek for the two Ice Climbers. They kept unleashing the ice boulders, but it quickly became apparent that they were spending a great deal of energy on all of the ice attacks. They made no effort to move, and what had started out as boulders their size, had now just became about the same size as a human fist. The Reaper just rushed for them and cut right through of them. Both Ness and Lucas recoiled upon seeing their friends being killed.

I was wrong. They were all human too.

Mewtwo rushed towards the Reaper. "RUN!" He shouted. "I'll hold him off as long as I can!"

And with that Ness and Lucas began to take me away. The sounds of battle rang out. With each explosion all three of us cringed. "Where can we go that's safe?" Lucas asked.

"I don't think anywhere is safe." Ness replied.

"Let's try the town hall." I said. "We might be able to barricade ourselves in or something."

They glared at me, wondering if that would even work. We made our way into the town hall. And quickly barricaded the doors. We just began to catch our breaths. "This is crazy." Ness said.

Lucas nodded in agreement. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He was doing his best to not cry, but was failing miserably. We didn't know how many had died out there while we waited.

But I couldn't help but wonder, did any of us even have a plan? As far as I could tell we were just delaying the inevitable.

"From what I could tell, the Reaper has us beat in nearly every single way." Ness said. "I don't even think we can get close enough to hurt him without dying. Still, I want to know why he didn't want to kill you, Nugai."

"He said he wanted me to despair." I replied. "I think he wants to break me or something."

"That would make sense." Ness said. "I guess he thinks that by breaking you, and your spirit that maybe you will join him."

"No, I don't think that's it." Lucas said. "I think he wanted you to be outraged so your judgement was fogged. If you just rush in attacking him, he might be able to kill others when they try to correct your mistakes. You also aren't as strong when you're angry."

I cringed. "He likes toying with people." I replied. "That's what he's doing with me. Toying with everyone's lives."

I looked around the town hall, noticing a doorway that went to some stairs that went down into a basement. We all decided to go there, and slowly made our way down the stairs. Once we reached the basement we just looked around. There was next to nothing that would work as a weapon. Just a bookcase, which might have worked as a barricade for all of 3 seconds.

I found a nice corner and just collapsed in it. I wanted to close my eyes, go to sleep and just wake up in my bed, thinking this was another bad dream.

"I found something!" Ness said.

I got up and made my way over to him. He was holding a book, it wasn't much but it would at least help us pass time. He just handed it to me. Inside were photos of the town and the citizens helping build the place, planting trees and flowers. And there I saw a few photos of me in there, or at least that villager who had appeared in a dream previously. But that cinched it. I was definitely here in this village once before.

"Hello!" A voice boomed out. "This is just a friendly reminder to all of you Smashers who are still living, that congratulations, you made it to the final five. Run, try to fight back, or just wait until I find you and kill you, it's your choice. Nugai, once these five are taken care of, you're next!"

Ness and Lucas just looked afraid. Ness just looked at us. "When he gets here, Lucas, take Nugai and flee." He said. "I'm going to go all out against him, and I won't be able to fight if you guys are here."

"Where to?" I asked.

"Anywhere but here." Ness replied. "The farther away the better. I can't guarantee the safety of the town."

"What?" Lucas said.

"I'm going to have to unleash everything I got." Ness said.

We heard explosions, and what seemed to be buildings collapsing. Each of us was probably wondering the same thing. How many remained.

We just waited. And waited. And waited.

"Where are Master Hand and Crazy Hand?" Ness muttered. The question lingered. "Aren't they supposed to watch over us? Aren't they part of the Smashers' too?" He pounded his fist against the ground.

I then noticed something else on the bookcase that Ness had been investigating. I reached out and pressed a switch. Suddenly, the bookcase swung away revealing a secret passage. Both of the kid Smashers looked at the passage in awe.

"Let's go in there." I said.

The two of them nodded. We made our way in and made sure that the bookcase closed behind us. We began to go deeper and deeper into the earth, until we came to a giant room. There were several other stairways and passageways, but dirt seemed to be blocking all but two. The one we used, and one that led to who knows where.

"What is this place?" Ness asked just looking around.

"A shelter from the looks of it." I replied.

"This was underneath Smashville?"

"Congratulations, there are now only two Smashers plus Nugai left! And you seemed to of hidden yourselves quite well! But don't worry, I'll soon find you and put you all out of your misery!" The Reaper's voice boomed out.

They both tensed up. "Everyone else is dead." Ness said, taking it the hardest. I guess it was only natural, since he knew them better than us. He had been apart of the Smashers since the beginning, Lucas and I were just newcomers. We hadn't even been with them for a month.

I just looked at where we came from. The passage leading back to the town hall.

"I think we should destroy that tunnel." I said.

They looked at me like I was crazy. "Why?"

"So we can wait this out." I said. "He made a blood pact. There seems to be a timeline on it. If we can stall long enough that the time line runs out, he will die."

Ness smiled liking that news. Lucas just put his hand on the wall and suddenly spires shot out of the wall and through the ceiling. They disappeared and dirt began to flow in. However, Ness quickly ran through trapping himself on the other side. "Sorry." He said. "But I'll make sure that the Reaper dies!" And then he ran off.

Lucas just looked frustrated. He wanted to chase after him, but the passage was now sealed.

"Damn it, Ness you didn't have to be a hero!" I muttered.

I just looked at the only other clear passage. I didn't know if we just trapped ourselves in here completely, or if there was a way out, but I figured we had to take it. "Let's see where that path leads." I said.

Lucas nodded. We ran into the passageway, and back up into Smashville. It was quite clear that Ness and The Reaper had met each other, as now everything was shaking. Ness probably felt that he could go all out with us in the safety of being underground. But with the shaking and dirt coming off of the ceiling, I was beginning to fear that we were actually in danger of being buried alive if we had stayed there.

We eventually found an exit. We pushed open the door, and were greeted with lots of white tiles. Just by glancing at the white tiles gave a good indication of where we were. The train station. I was quite concerned about how I didn't notice this part previously. But as the passage closed and I used aura, I soon found out why. Somehow the stones blocked aura.

We could hear the sound of battle, and a good indication that Ness was still alive. But so was the Reaper. We found a window, and looked outside to try and see what was going on.

Everything in Smashville was levelled. It seemed like the only thing standing was the train station, and unfortunately, that made it incredibly obvious where the next spot that he would look would be. I couldn't keep watching, I just sat on the ground and leaned against the wall. Lucas also followed.

"Smashville is in ruins." He cried.

All but two of the Smashers were dead. Smashville was in ruins. Master Hand and Crazy Hand were either dead or somewhere else. And tomorrow... would the status quo revert everything to what it was before?

"Damn it, it shouldn't be like this." I said pounding the wall.

I suddenly felt a pulse of energy. It was that feeling from before, something inside of the train station calling me. I just cringed, and shook away the feeling.

"Not right now." I muttered.

"Did you say something?" Lucas asked.

I glanced at the kid. "No." I managed to say.

We just continued to sit there, waiting, and then the fighting stopped. There were no more deafening explosions, and the ground stopped shaking. We both just froze, fearing for the worst.

I didn't want to use aura, I didn't want to find out the outcome of the battle, even if Ness had won. Just the slightest possibility that the Reaper was still alive, and now Lucas and I were the only Smashers left was terrifying. I wasn't even sure if the status quo would work anymore.

"We need to find out what happened." Lucas said, getting his stick ready. "Let's go. If it's the Reaper, I'm sure Ness would have weakened him to the point that we could beat him."

I nodded, and got up. We made our way to the entrance of the train station. There was no one as far as the eye could see. Suddenly the Reaper dropped down from the roof.

His scythe just went right through Lucas' stomach. Lucas let out several screams of pain before he was tossed aside, dead.

All of the Smashers were dead. Killed by one man. I didn't believe it was possible. And yet, he just stood there in front of me. "It's over. The Smashers are dead. You're all that remains, Nugai. No one else can interrupt us, and no one will save you. It's just you and me!" he gasped for air as he said that/ It was quite clear he was also at the end of his ropes.

I ignored him and walked over to Lucas' corpse. I just hugged the body. "I'm sorry." I cried. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you or any one else. This should have never happened."

The Reaper just stood there, waiting for me to finish. I placed Lucas' body down and closed his eyes. I then glared at the Reaper. "You've killed children."

"I'm doing what's necessary." The Reaper said.

"You've killed my friends."

"If Fantasia comes to pass, and they attack, both worlds will suffer. How can you even be sure that the Smashers won't side with their universe, and see us as the enemies?"

"How can you be sure that Fantasia will lead to fighting?"

"Greed." The Reaper said. "I told you all of this. Zenith wants power. They want the technology for weapons. They want to sell it, patent it, they will effectively rule the world."

"You've killed my family."

"Nugai, it's time you faced reality. These people weren't your family..."

"Reaper, I don't care if you were my friend in the past. That person is dead now! All I see is a monster!" I shouted.

"I expected you to not agree with my path, I didn't expect it would hurt this much." He said. "I did die so long ago."

"I know." I replied. "And you can stay dead! If this is just to resurrect yourself like this, I will never accept it! This is wrong! You should have just died in that accident!"

"Nugai, it was never an accident." The Reaper muttered. A smile suddenly crossed his face. "But that's fine, you don't have to accept it. You just have to die."

He swung his scythe down. I was barely able to dodge it. I just stared at him like he was crazy, then again, he probably was. I activated the beam sword and pushed him away.

I activated the Awakened aura state, ready to fight him at full power.

It was quite clear that him killing all of the Smashers had taken its toll. He wasn't as fast as he used to be. His attacks all seemed to be fatigued, and carried a great weight behind them. I imagine that was the main reason he took out Lucas in a sneak attack; he probably feared that Lucas was another Ness. He tried to hide it, but he was clearly limping. With everything at my disposal I think I had a chance.

But that didn't exactly mean that he was going to make it easy for me. He was clearly well aware of the awakened aura state's power. I lunged at him, and he swung his scythe, but he was going much slower than he had moment's prior. The awakened aura state had heightened my senses. I was easily able to dodge it and appear behind him. I swung down my beam sword, but it went right through him. He had made himself intangible at the last moment. He delivered a punch directly to my jaw sending me away, and making the room spin around me. Any advantage that I seemed to have over him with the Awakened aura state seemed to vanish instantly. I imagined he was using Dialga and Palkia's powers freely to either slow me down, or speed himself up.

And then, suddenly all of my aura was gone. I lost the awakened aura state. "What?" I said surprised.

The Reaper had a smile across his face, he rushed towards me.

He swung his scythe, and managed to knock me away. I quickly dashed for inside of the train station hoping to ambush him inside, and he followed.

Several blades of wind rushed for me, and I rolled out of the way. He fired some energy shots that barely missed. I occasionally turned around only to have to hit back an energy ball back at him. I just ran through the train station, hoping whatever was calling me earlier would decide to call me again.

"Please!" I shouted. "Show me the way!"

"You've lost it!?" The Reaper said. He jumped right behind me and swung his scythe. I quickly blocked the attack. "Just let me put you out of your misery, I know you don't want to be like this. And you'll be with the Smashers soon enough."

I kicked him away, I hoped winding him, and I got some distance between us. I took a few seconds to take a break and then I could sense the train station calling me once again. I quickly began to run to where I thought it was, but I only came to a dead end. I was about to turn around and flee when unfortunately the Reaper had cornered me.

"So, this is it, a dead end." The Reaper said.

I imagined this is what it must feel like to be cornered by the monster in horror movies. I just berated myself silently for being so stupid. Any attempts to call forth any aura had quickly ended in failure. I turned and faced him and soon found myself with my back against the wall and him slowly approaching me.

I was absolutely terrified. With every step he made I tried to push further back into the wall, hoping it would break, or it was made out of foam or something, so that we would always be an equal distance apart and he would never reach me. But it was solid.

In a last ditch effort to defend myself, I just activated the beam sword and held it in front of me. "I'm not going down easily." I said trying to make myself as intimidating as possible. The Reaper however just laughed. He could see my bluff for what it was. A worthless bluff, meant to only prolong my life for a few more pitiful seconds.

It was quick. He just ran forwards cut through the beam sword's hilt, cutting off the energy, and then stabbed me with the scythe. I felt it going right through me. I retaliated, hoping to bring him down with me and also stabbed him with what remained of the beam sword. Which was right now, just a pointy metal stake. I don't even think I made him bleed. I was just tossed right through the wall and into darkness.

"No, it can't end like this... I won't let it!" was the thought that was going through my mind. It was a rather optimistic thought. Somehow I would get up once again, like I had time and time before. But this time there was no one left to help me... It was me and this black abyss.

I, Nugai, the last Smasher was dying and would soon be dead.

I landed on the ground with a thud. It was stone floor, and unlike the nice flat stones of the train station, this stone was round, and rough. I felt myself lying in a pool of my own blood. It was slowly growing bigger and bigger, and my vision was growing much more faint.

And then I could only assume I died.

Everything went black.

* * *

"Andrew, class is over, wake up!"

I opened my eyes. I expected to still be in the train station. In front of me was my laptop. It just had a black screen; it had long since gone to sleep. I looked around, extremely confused. I was in a mostly empty classroom. Standing in the front of the room was a college professor. He was a middle-aged man, I imagined in his early thirties.

_What? What the hell is going on? A dream?_

I looked around confused, at the desks and the chairs that lined them. I was in a classroom, a classroom that I know I took a course at college in. I also knew my name now. Andrew. Yeah, the professor was addressing me. Everything had come back to me now.

_Oh crap, I'm dead and I went to my personal hell of eternal schooling…_

"Sorry, Mr. Northriver." I said, quickly putting the laptop monitor down, and putting it in a nearby bag. I looked in the laptop bag and saw my agenda, along with my cell phone; I quickly opened up the agenda and looked at the date of a page that was marked with a bookmark.

December 4th.

The day before I had a giant "SSBB Released" written over it. I glanced up at the professor who was still in the room. Honestly I expected him to leave by now. He must have caught my confusion as to why he was still here.

"As a professor, I'm a bit nervous, exams are next week, and here you are falling asleep in class." He said. "I know it's been a hard semester for you, and you've had to deal with quite a bit. I was also quite nervous when you didn't show up for class yesterday. But I guess Super Smash Brothers Brawl did come out, and you were playing that instead."

_Close, but I was actually living it…_

"Something like that." I laughed

I just sighed. I wanted to say something. I was really confused now, was it all just a dream? Everything seemed so real, all the days were so long, and yet, no it couldn't possibly be a dream. All the pain was real. My hand went to my stomach where the Reaper had stabbed me with the scythe moments prior. I put pressure on it, but didn't feel any pain. I put my hand underneath the desk and away from his view, and tried to send out a bit of aura. Some of the blue flame appeared. I did my best to not react, but a smile must of crossed my face.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I haven't had any caffeine in my system. I'll go to the nearby coffee shop and get something to drink, it won't happen again."

"That's good." He said.

I looked around the room. The doors were oddly shut. I know Mr. Northriver had them closed when he was having his lessons, but he didn't really close them after students left at the end of the lecture.

"Still, I'm worried about you, I was talking with a friend last night. He works for a company, and if college isn't working for you, you can go there. They are willing to hire anyone, as long as you're passionate about video games, and out of all of the students I teach, I know no one else more passionate than you. So, I figured I would pass on his business card."

He handed me a business card, and then walked back to his desk and bag. I just looked at the card for a few seconds. It honestly took me a few seconds to comprehend what I was holding. I was just staring at it. I was reading the words, but for some reason my mind just didn't process it until about the fifth time I had read it.

It was a business card for Zenith.

All that I had heard about Zenith just rushed into my mind all at once. I could only imagine I went white. I felt almost like I wanted to throw up. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

"Are you okay?" Mr. Northriver asked.

I just placed the card down on the table, and pushed it away from me. I looked up at Mr. Northriver and just looked him in the eyes. "Why would I want to work for those murderers?" I said.

Mr. Northriver pulled out a gun from his bag and aimed it at me.

I don't know if it was because of exhaustion, or something else, but it wasn't that shocking and I wasn't afraid of the person with the gun in his hand. It felt like he was just some person who was standing there. Just another normal human being. He wasn't anything like the Smashers, or the Reaper. I could always tell with them if they were going to do anything. But him? He couldn't pull the trigger with it aimed at me.

"I was sent here to observe you." he said. "To make sure you didn't do anything stupid after that idiot was killed. You were either supposed to just live normally, always under our watch, work for us, or die!"

I looked at the gun. His hand was shaking. I understood now, he was afraid. He wasn't capable of killing. He wouldn't be able to pull the trigger. "You can't fire that in here." I said.

"Of course I can. I just need to kill you and then shoot myself in the arm or leg. You'll just be seen as that quiet student that finally snapped." he laughed.

I just sighed. "Until the doctors actually look at the wound and can tell from the amount of gunpowder how close it actually was…" Him holding the gun wasn't even slightly intimidating. My hand reached for my stomach, where I remembered the Reaper stabbing me. The fear I felt a few minutes ago, the hopelessness of that situation, this was nothing like it at all.

"You can't kill me, or rather you won't." I said. "You don't have that aura around you, or that look in your eyes."

"Shut up!"

"You can't pull the trigger." I said. "Look at you."

"How do you know Andrew?"

I just looked around the classroom. "Because of Zenith killing my best friend, I spent 28 days in a video game. Experiencing hell, seeing people die, and the look of those who are determined to do what's necessary, even if they know that it means they will die. You don't have that look. You don't have the look of someone who's ready to kill, even when you know it will be covered up. Besides, your safety is on, rookie."

It didn't need to be the truth. I just needed him to look away for that split second. That and I always wanted to say that line... In that split second I had kicked the table that was in front of me up into the air and then towards him.

He avoided the attack, but it was only meant to be a distraction. In the meantime I had managed to run right next to him and grabbed his wrist, and hit a pressure point, causing him to drop the gun.

"People will come now. They heard that."

"Yeah." I said. "They would have come too if you were actually able to shoot."

"And who do you think they will believe? If you try to explain anything, you'll be seen as someone who's crazy."

"Yeah." I replied. "I think I'll fit right in with this mad world."

He suddenly pulled out a hidden knife from the arm of his dress shirt, and swung it at me. I jumped back, and quickly kicked the gun to the other side of the room. My body felt as light as a feather here, it was like nothing was an obstacle. I had perfect control. I could land on the top part of a chair, and it wouldn't even wobble.

I glanced towards the door. I was expecting people to actually rush in by now after hearing the giant crashing sound.

"The doors are locked." He said, noticing my glance. "And besides, anyone who's left here at this hour are members of Zenith. No one would be coming to your aid."

I just cringed. "That's good then." I managed to say. I looked at all of the desks. "Then I won't be afraid to go all out!"

"You're bluffing." He said.

"You know, I was wondering how The Reaper could kill all of the people on the other side."

"The what?"

"The Reaper, that's his name, at least the one that everyone called him but never mind that's not really important." I sighed. "Anyways, I was wondering how he could kill so many people. I think I now know why. I guess I just had to meet some Zenith employees, besides Rai, Tei, and Sui."

Mr. Northriver just looked a bit frustrated. "Those three brats... Did they betray Zenith?"

"I'd say it was more like I just found them and beat them before they could kill me." I said.

"They like to toy with their targets a bit too much." the professor laughed. "Seems like that was their downfall. That must be why they came back yesterday with their tails between their legs."

"So, since the odds are stacked against me, what's this about targets?" I asked. "Then again, I guess I can guess myself, The Reaper told me most of it. How Tei came and watched over him, forced him into the world, and tried to get information from him, about me. Going by you, there are others out there looking for people like me who have the potential, but haven't allied themselves with Zenith. You are to get close, and decide whether or not to offer an invitation to join, or to die, or in some cases you just kill them."

"But all of those who have the potential are just screwed up little brats like you. Those who are shut in, and just want to play video games all day long." the professor said. "Day after day, I get sick and tired of watching over brats like you. And now you've gained the abilities of that world. Just great... I thought this would be easy."

He pulled out a cube like object. I immediately recognized it as the thing that had stored furniture, in the other world.

_Oh shit..._

Suddenly a giant sword appeared in the room, it looked like it was made out of bones. He just picked it up with both of his hands and swung it a few times. "Like you, I also can go between the worlds, all members of Zenith can, we are then trained. Some don't survive the training since it's so brutal. Tell me, have you ever played Monster Hunter."

_You have got to be kidding me..._

I reached for my belt where the beam sword was normally holstered, but it wasn't there.

_Just great, against some psycho with a giant sword completely unarmed... This can only end well..._

"I've heard of it." I said.

"Good, because that's what I've had to go through." He said.

"Can't say I've played it though." I figured I'd have the advantage; after all, he had a big and bulky sword, in a relatively closed in space, with a bunch of obstacles. I would be able to dodge rather easily. I kicked up a table and sent it flying towards him once again. He just swung his sword, and even though he was pushed back slightly he was still able to knock the table down to the ground. He at least had the physical strength to go with that sword.

But, his reaction speed wasn't as fast as mine. He didn't have Aura or anything else to give the boost in performance. I also figured he wouldn't have the endurance either. With a job as high profile as a college professor, I didn't think he would of been able to constantly train himself against monsters. He wouldn't want to risk any giant easily noticeable wounds. At the best he might have had something like track, and weight lifting at the gym as a hobby.

He smashed several desks in. I just went to a leg of a desk and quickly pulled it off. I held it in front of me like it was a sword. At the very least I had a weapon now.

"So, you're going to fight me." Mr. Northriver laughed. "Oh, boy, this should be interesting. Tell me Andrew, why do you fight?"

"I fight because this world is way too screwed up." I said. "I just want everything to be the way it used to. None of this Zenith crap."

I rushed towards him and swung the desk leg. He swung the sword, and the two collided. Much to my surprise the desk leg didn't break.

"The world was never the way you imagined it to be." Mr. Northriver said. "You don't understand why he had to die. He was a threat, and was going to try and destroy our company."

"And that requires killing someone?" I asked, jumping back.

"He had gotten access to top secret files. It was the most logical choice." He said.

"Logical, yeah right." I scoffed.

"If he jeopardized what we worked towards, then his death was inevitable. Everyone who opposes us will meet with a similar fate. And that includes you."

"And why's that?" I asked.

"Its simply evolution. They are walking against human evolution." Mr. Northriver said.

"No, there is nothing about evolution for this." I snapped back. "It's just some impossible childish fantasy that someone is trying to fulfill!"

"But it's not impossible, you yourself is living proof of it. How a human can become stronger. After all you just displayed that!" Mr. Northriver said. I had used aura to send that desk towards him. "And what if it can be used for medicine? Cancer, AIDS, and other diseases that don't have a cure yet in this world could be a thing of the past. Don't you think that's a noble goal?"

"As noble a goal as that is, people can't be trusted with that power." I said.

"And why not?"

"People will use it to hurt others. After all you just displayed that!" I replied, taunting him. "Criminals could use abilities such as aura to commit crimes, kids could bully others."

"So, we can regulate those who evolve, who has the right to power."

"It will just be a dictatorship." I said. "You'll just be separating people into classes. Those who are privileged, and only get there by supporting you, and those who aren't!"

"And how is that different than the current world?" Mr. Northriver asked. "Aren't people all ready separated into the rich, the poor?"

This guy was beginning to piss me off.

"But, it appears to me that we agree, that not everyone should get the powers."

"We don't agree!" I snapped.

"And what makes you different than what you're saying? Aren't you using your abilities to try and intimidate me? Didn't you attack me with your abilities? Aren't you just trying to be a bully?"

"That's different!"

"How so? It wasn't self-defence. You didn't need to attack me. You could have simply used your aura to move away." he said. "You could of used aura to stop every attack from hitting you."

"And didn't you attempt to kill me with the sword and strength you obtained from over there?" I asked. "Don't you realise the hypocrisy and double standards that's coming out of your mouth?"

"Don't you?" Mr. Northriver asked. "And what makes you so much better than me? Or Zenith? What gives you the right to look down from your high pedestal and decide who can and can't grow stronger?"

"You don't know the hell I had to endure. What I had to do to survive while over there!" I snapped. "Because of someone evolving and sending that world in to chaos!"

"Isn't evolution just people adapting to survive their environment? What's the difference?"

"There is no difference." I said.

"Then why do you oppose us?"

"Because, I was forced into the situation that forced me to evolve. I speak as a survivor. Not as someone like you who might as well be brainwashed! I speak because I know just what your close-minded thinking will unleash upon the world! That world is constantly at war because of influencing from our world! We're not going to get some happy go lucky world where everything is sunshine and rainbows! We're going to inherit all of their problems! All the monsters that they have to deal with! All of the people who live there!"

He began to twitch; his cool demeanour had been cracked.

"How do you not know that the Reaper of yours wasn't some double agent, sent over by us, to kill everyone to prevent that from happening?" Mr. Northriver asked. "All while giving the guise of an innocent person, just trying to escape."

I was getting quite tired of this. I just rushed towards him and swung down the table's leg with all of my strength. He blocked with his sword, but with an explosion of aura I was able to smash through the sword.

"Because, I know when he's lying." I replied. "You have Tei and that life flame to thank for that little stunt. He could only tell the truth." I sent a blast of Aura to send him flying into the wall right behind him. He let out a pained cry, and I just walked to the door, still holding the table leg.

"You've decided to oppose Zenith, how unfortunate." Mr. Northriver said. "I thought you were an intelligent person Andrew."

"Well, quite frankly, you can get really tired of everyone saying that." I replied.

"You're not going to be able to escape this school alive." He said.

"I think I will." I said. "Good bye."

I kicked the door off of its hinges and just rushed out into the maze that was the college.

They hallways were empty. I was honestly expecting a large crowd to be at the doors to see what was all that noise. But, there weren't any people. All classroom doors were closed, and locked. I looked through the windows, and despite the lights being on, they were empty. I made my way to a stairwell and quickly looked at the two sets of stairs, one going up, and the other going down.

I just froze. I looked at the stairs going to the first level, and it looked like it was submerged in water. I stretched out my hand and put it in the liquid. It was cold. I was honestly a bit confused. How could the entire first floor be submerged underwater?

I just looked around, and quickly made my way up the other set of stairs. All of the lights were off on this floor. I quickly went into another classroom, and just leaned back against a wall. I didn't know how everyone was gone from the school, how it was completely abandoned, but somehow, it was. Even at night there were night courses. And it would only be a matter of time before he found me.

"I need to get back..." I muttered.

This was all real, I was positive of that. I wasn't quite sure what had happened, or how I got back after being stabbed by the Reaper, but somehow it happened.

_Wait... He brought me there, then maybe he also sent me back..._

It made just as much sense as anything else. The best thing I could do in this situation was remaining calm; I assumed that anyone else I would meet up with would most likely be with Zenith, so I decided that I should avoid them at all costs.

I placed my hand on the ground and used aura to see the whole school. There were a few other people there; I assumed either custodial staff, Zenith members, or both.

If I could sneak outside, I could probably lose them. There was the forest, the pond, and those roads that passed by.

There would be plenty of spots to hide. Of course, there was the whole issue of the first floor being underwater somehow. I just closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, but then I heard some steps walking around on this floor. I pressed myself against the wall as best as I could.

"I can't find him." I heard Mr. Northriver say. "He shouldn't of been able to disappear, and I know he's still in the building." there was silence, I figured he was calling someone on his cell phone. I reached into my bag, and found my cell phone, however I wasn't getting any signals.

"What, are you sure?" He said shocked. "Very well then."

He walked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't find me.

I remembered there being some arcade cabinets in the school. It was in the student lounge. They were purchased for the students to enjoy their time between classes. They also had Wii Wednesdays at noon... but that's not really important right now. If I could return back to that world, someway, somehow, I could at least gather my thoughts.

The hallways were empty. And then I heard a loud explosion. Soon fire alarms were going off. Using aura I saw that someone had started a fire in one of the further wings, I imagine it was started with a bomb.

No one else in the building seemed surprised by it. There was no panicking coming from them. They just all turned and began to calmly walk towards the wing that currently wasn't on fire.

I found a door that led outside, and wondered why no one was escaping. I just opened it up and soon a bunch of other alarms went off. I felt extremely stupid it was so obvious. Of course he would know I was still in the building if the alarm was set…

I rushed back towards the student lounge. None of the Zenith members were there yet, which was strange since I thought that they would be guarding that place like a hawk since I would be able to open a portal to the other world. But, with any luck they would at least be taking a few minutes to regroup and figure out if I actually left the building or not.

I made it to the student lounge. It was just a large room with numerous sofas scattered though out the room. I found the light switch and flicked it. Soon lights came on. I made my way to the two arcade cabinets. Both weren't plugged in, so I found the plug of marvel vs capcom 2 and well, plugged it in.

_Please work, please work, please work…_

The power came on and I put my hand on the screen, hoping to be dragged in, but nothing happened. I just stood there with my hand on the screen.

"Crap." I muttered. It didn't work.

Using Aura I could see the Zenith employees making their way up the stairwell. I then noticed the storage closet. It was open a crack. I quickly rushed in and closed the door.

I collapsed and waited. The Zenith members all just looked frustrated. "Damn it, he jumped into a game!"

"Crap!"

"We better get out of here before the fire gets here." Another voice ordered.

And with that they all began to vanish. I just breathed a sigh of relief, and exited the storage room.

For the time being I was safe I figured I had a few minutes before the fire got here. If it even did.

I returned back to the arcade cabinet. I laughed at the irony. Wanting to escape the past few weeks, but now that I'm out I want to go back in.

"Damn it!" I shouted pounding my fist against the arcade cabinet. "Why won't you work..."

I placed my hand against the screen once again, but it didn't work.

"I need to go back. I need to stop the Reaper. I need to stop Zenith." I cried. "Damn it! Damn it!"

There was silence. I just stood there alone trying to enter back into a portal. Using aura, switching hands I did everything that I could imagine, and yet nothing worked.

Soon the smoke and fire had reached the room. I just made a barrier of aura to keep it away. But I had all ready accepted that it was inevitable. "Crap, I didn't want to go out like this." I muttered.

I looked at the storage closet. A thought flickered into my mind. Why was it open? It should have been locked and only a student with a key, or custodial staff would of opened it…

I suddenly used aura to look into it, and sitting in there was someone. "Who's there?" I asked.

Stepping out from the storage room was Tei. He just waved his hand and the fire vanished. "Andrew." He said.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping you." He said.

"What?" I said confused. "Why?"

"My real name is Cody." He said. "I was like you once. I was given the power to go into the other world, and I brought in my best friend, along with my family, which you know as Rai and Sui. The four of us enjoyed the world, but it wasn't meant to be. Our cat stepped on the turbo controller when we were inside. And as a result we stopped aging. Eventually, as you might imagine word got out. The four of us were approached by what would eventually become Zenith."

I just was confused. "Zenith approached you? How long ago was this?"

"1989." Cody replied. "Zenith is a relatively new face of the organization, and it's at least the public face, the four of us were discovered due to the ability to not age, and they were a little less bold with approaching others back then. They offered us a job, and explained what we had to do. In return, they would pay us, and do the best to cover everything up. We would have to go around the country to find those who also had the potential. Due to our lack of aging we could infiltrate schools, and reach kids much easier than they could. Every time we infiltrated a school, we would stay there for a year or two, getting the trust of the targets, and hearing the choice of the target. If they joined us they lived, if they refused they would 'disappear', and then we would be transferred to another school somewhere else in the country so no one noticed that we didn't age. The four of us did that until my friend found out about Project Fantasia. He was killed as a result."

I felt my insides jump.

"Project Fantasia is supposed to be confidential. Those that know about it are told that it's for the betterment of mankind, to obtain technology and medicine that isn't present in our world, and I'm sure you know why that would never work."

"If they brought over the medicine from there, you know it wouldn't free here. It would go to the highest bidder." I replied. "Same with technology, it would be monopolized to make the people of Zenith rich. They could finance a war to the highest bidder. Bringing over weapons. In the end despite the casualties, they would win."

"Correct, and that's all ready happening." Cody said. "Zenith gets the technology, patents it, does whatever it can, and keeps up the front as a research and development lab. They get funding for their main project through that. But back to my main story, my friend, he found out the truth."

"The truth?" I asked.

Cody just let off a heavy sigh. "To be honest, I don't know their real goal. It was never written down in his diary, but if he had to be killed because he knew the truth I can't imagine it being anything good."

I nodded.

"Although, part of me says that if I'd have to guess then your guess of weapons can't be that far off." Cody said. "Get the weapons that other countries don't and then rule the world."

"Of course." I said.

"Still, I have a feeling that it's just not that. It seems far too generic, far too stupid. It would have to be something else." Cody said. "Not to mention, they practically all ready could with medicine and technology and other things they have brought over, and distribute through their little subsidiaries."

"So, why are you still with Zenith?" I asked.

"I want to find others to fight with me against them." Cody said. "I figured this was the easiest way."

To be honest, I was a tad wary of him since, well considering how he had treated The Reaper, and myself in the other world, he could just be lying.

"It's also the most dangerous." I said.

"Yes, but this way, I could remain close, I'd also be able to live." He said. "Zenith doesn't exactly let their members walk free. You know too much, or you know too little, if you know anything about them, you're employed for life."

"So, if you just quit, you'd be killed." I said. He nodded.

"You can be a powerful ally." Cody said. "Please join me."

"And that won't do you any good." A voice said. We both turned to see Mr. Northriver. He was standing through the doorway. "I was wondering why the fire hadn't done anything, and now it seems like I know the reason." He held out a gun and just aimed it at Cody. All the hesitation that he had beforehand was gone. He pulled the trigger, and Cody got hit with the bullet. The control that Cody had used over the fire vanished instantly, and the room was set ablaze once again. For a few seconds Mr. Northriver was surprised, and just stood there with a dumb look on his face. Cody suddenly turned into flames and disappeared.

"Tei, Cody!" I shouted out. I didn't know if he was alive or not. I glanced over to Mr. Northriver who had turned the gun to me, and fired.

Before it hit, time froze. I just blinked a few times looking at the bullet suspended in midair. I tapped it with my finger, and it moved a bit. "What's going on?" I asked

"Andrew, Nugai, wake up from your dream, and wake up and accept your destiny." A voice said.

"A dream?" I muttered surprised.

* * *

I opened my eyes. I was trying to get my bearings.

But I saw a blue light right above me.

"CRAP!" I heard the Reaper shout. He seemed so distant. And yet, despite not even looking at him or using aura, I could somehow see everything that he was doing.

He was swinging his scythe and making noticeable grunts. His scythe was clearly hitting something. I turned my head towards him, my vision had nearly disappeared, and so I couldn't see what he was attacking.

But I felt a warm light. I just closed my eyes, expecting to breath my last.

"Do you wish to live?" A voice called out to me.

"Yeah." I weakly whispered.

"What would you do with your life when we save you?" It asked. It seemed so familiar.

_That voice, is it my voice?_

"I would fight The Reaper, stop him, and then go and stop Project Fantasia. I would try and stop the worlds from fusing." I said.

There was just silence. "This pact you make, you will carry until the day you die. From this point on, you must dedicate your life to stopping Fantasia, you know that right?"

"Yes, I know that." I said.

"Then we will bind ourselves to you." the voice said. "You just have to touch the Akashic Point."

"You're the ones who've been calling me all this time, right?"

"Yes."

"What is your name?" I asked.

"We are just simply known as an Akashic Point although, you probably know us better as the Smashville Train Station, the Center of the Universe'."

"I guess if you look at it that way, it really is the center of the universe." I weakly laughed. "And here I thought it was some overly pretentious title."

I opened my eyes. It was still blurry. I reached up to where the wound was, but it was gone. It had somehow been healed healed. The blood was still all over my clothes, and all over the ground. I was still missing a great deal of it, but my wound had instantly closed, and that was a start I guess.

I just looked around, wondering what had caused the wound to heal. The Reaper's frantic attacks against a barrier drew my attention. I couldn't quite see it, but I could tell he was unleashing everything he had to try and get into where I was. Something was telling me he didn't expect wherever I was to be behind that wall.

I slowly began to struggle to get up. The Reaper's attacks were getting more and more desperate.

"Come." The voice said.

I walked forwards, tripping and falling back down to the ground. "You're exhausted." The voice said. "That is most unfortunate."

"Nugai! STOP!" The Reaper shouted. He had summoned the big guns too. Dialga and Palkia were attacking the barrier. Something told me it wasn't going to last. The remains of the beam sword was still in my hand but it began to under go a transformation. It had transformed into a currently sheathed two-handed long sword. Strangely, wrapped around the sheath were some chains, stopping me from opening it. I just used it as a crutch and made my way forwards.

In front of me appeared this strange bar code like structure; it was constantly rotating around a sphere of much smaller barcodes. I stretched out my hand and touched it. Suddenly a bunch of information suddenly went into my mind. It was as though by touching that barcode, I read it. I know knew what this was, it was data; this was part of the Akashic Point.

I placed my hand on it again, and more and more information went into my mind. The history of Smashville, and the history of this land.

I pulled back my arm, gasping for air; it was too much information to absorb all at once. But all of the information felt familiar. I had been here in this town before? Somehow...

In my mind's eye I was once again in a darkened room, a strange person was on the screen, a vaguely human person, he was talking with animals. It was that boy who had appeared in front of me, the one that claimed to be my subconscious. Although he was wearing a hat with two horns.

He was buying stuff from Tom Nook. I then saw myself reaching for the TV and teleporting into the game world. Enjoying time at the beach, or building snowmen, or just lying on the ground and looking up at the stars.

I had been here before.

My memories of this town began to come back. And so did the reason why I stopped coming to these worlds of my own free will.

Much like the Reaper, I had died once before.

While his death was in the real world, my death was here in this world.

I had used this world to run away, to escape from my own problems. When I was frustrated, or needed time away from the world, I would go in, but time went by noticeably faster in this world. When I returned, only minutes had passed.

During one of my more explosive episodes, I sought refuge in this world and had no intention of returning to the real world. Somehow, I had never stayed in this world for a full 40 days. This time however, the threshold was passed.

I remember feeling fine one minute, and then the next I was down on the ground in pain. A completely unbearable pain. I could look at my hands and they were dissolving, and I felt each and every little piece be torn off of me. If I had to describe it, imagine being that kid who was tearing up paper to throw around confetti and just consonantly trying to get the smallest pieces physically possible. Now, imagine you were that paper, feeling every little tear, with the pain only getting worse and worse. And even though those pieces were separated, against all logic you still felt all the pain from the separated pieces. And at the same time, you were still somehow conscious, and not knocked out or anything. It just kept happening, like you were slowly being grounded up, and then it decided 'no, you're not a fine enough meat, we're going to ground you up again.' I was screaming in pain, even just recollecting it.

It scared the shit out of me back then. It was scaring me now.

Back then; I somehow managed to get back to my world. It took me several seconds to calm down. But what had happened terrified me, and clearly scarred me. I never returned to that world. And I forced myself to forget all about it. I had willingly chosen to never return out of the fear that it would happen again.

I pulled my hand away from the barcode and just looked around. I felt my chest. I could feel my heart pounding. I was gasping for air. The Reaper was still attacking the barrier. A crack began to appear.

I still needed to defeat the Reaper. I looked at a giant sphere of bar codes. With out hesitating I jumped into the sphere.

I don't know how to describe what happened next. It was as though I had just simultaneously experienced anything and everything that had ever happened in this world. Far too much information went through my head. I wasn't able to process it all, yet at the same time I knew…

I fell out of the sphere and collapsed on the ground.

The Reaper had made his way through the barrier and was now standing in the room with me.

"You really don't have the ability to fully understand the Akashic Points." The Reaper said, somewhat relived. "It took me a long time trying to figure them out, and unfortunately, you're time is up!" He began to rush towards me and swung his scythe.

"That's all right." I laughed, struggling to get back up. "I learn quickly." I moved my hand and a wall appeared separating us. For the time being, that would stop him. I had come to realize the power I had in here. In this room, I had the power to alter reality. In here I could defeat the Reaper.

I looked at the Akashic Point, and just put my hands in it and then my whole body fell into the light.

So, here I was, one with the source code. The Akashic Records.

I wanted to know what my limits were in here. The best place to start was reversing the Reaper's damage here in Smashville today. It was rather easy; I could just simply restore each of the Smashers back to life. And I did just that. With a wave of my hand my will was done.

Knowledge, power, I had it all. The very foundations of the world were at my fingertips. I could do anything.

And it was time to finish this; I was going to destroy him once and for all. Time had frozen outside. I was now just observing the frozen world as an astral projection. I went behind the Reaper, and stretched out my arm. I just closed my fist, hoping that would do something, but his body just stayed there.

I stared at it for several seconds. "Why can't I edit his body?" I asked out loud.

"It is because he also has bonded with an Akashic Point." The voice that was calling me here said. "Once you have bonded with an Akashic Point, no other Akashic Point can edit you out of existence since it is out of it's range and power."

"So, can I only alter reality here in Smashville?" I asked.

"No, as long as you have your weapon that you got from the Akashic Record. For you, it is that sword. For him, it is that scythe. However, it's powers outside are rather limited compared to what you can do in an Akashic Point." The voice said. "Also, you can go into other Akashic Points, however, you won't be able to bond with more than one. And if the Akashic Point is destroyed, you will lose your power, and quite possibly your life."

"Okay." I said.

Before I got out of this place, and returned to reality, there was one last thing that I wanted to try. I wanted to make sure this power was real. I cringed; just having the Smashers being alive would be more than enough proof. But, not to me, there was something else I had to do to determine that this power I had.

There was something that I thought was always wrong. Something I wanted to always prevent but couldn't. There was always something I wanted to change.

I just stretched out my arm. "Lucas, you deserve this more than anyone." I said to myself, reassuring myself that I was doing the proper thing.

_Of course I am. Who's going to look after him once I'm gone…_

With that done, I fell out of the Akashic Point. The Reaper had broken through the wall and looked at me down on the ground. "You idiot!" He shouted. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"

"I have a guess." I said. "I reversed the damage that you did today."

"You fool!" He said. He swung down the scythe at me, and I blocked it with my sword's sheath, enough to at least divert it away from me. I kicked at him, and he quickly backed away. I got up, feeling a bit of my energy restored.

He was just growing more and more frustrated. "I was stupid." He muttered. "Shit, no, I shouldn't have done this!"

"Reaper!" I said. "Speak up!"

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?!" He asked frustrated.

"I told you, I reversed all of the damage that you did!" I said.

"You did a lot more than just that!" The Reaper shouted. "Power comes at a price, and you've cut of 39 years off of your life!"

The words echoed in my head. I was just backing away rather shocked.

"What did you just say?!" I said, partly confused, and partly out of desperation that I wanted to believe that I had misheard him.

"You cut out 39 years off of your life." He repeated. "Editing the Akashic Records comes at a price. For every change you make, there is a portion of your life taken away. Restoring someone back to life requires a year taken off"

I didn't know, should I trust his words? After all he knew enough to know what it was. He was planning on reviving Lucas' mother.

I just backed away into the Akashic Point. "Is this true?" I asked, hoping the voice would respond.

"Yes." The voice responded. "However, various edits have different prices."

Did I really just waste 39 years of my life? The feeling I had in my stomach was one of absolute dread. Just that knotting, heavy feeling. That blunt realization of what just happened in an instant, and knowing that your life would never be the same again. That moment where your mind practically was just shutting down due to shock. That your body couldn't move even if you wanted to.

"And how much did I waste?" I asked.

"Due to most of the ones that you restored back to life, only being dead for less than a day, each edit only took a month off of your life."

"So, that would be 3 years and 3 months then." I said, slightly more relieved. "I can live with that."

"Incorrect." The voice said. "4 years, and 3 months. The 40th person you restored back to life, has been dead for a while."

"I see. That's fine."

"That's fine?! Why did you do that?! You knew that Status Quo would have restored them! Who is this 40th person!?" The Reaper shouted, clearly growing more and more frustrated. I just looked at the Reaper, a bit surprised that he could hear the voice.

"I think you all ready know that. Now all that remains is to finish you off, and make sure that my changes actually took effect." I said. I reached for the sword, and tried to pull the sword out of the sheath, however, it just stayed stuck in there. I paused and looked at the chains that were wrapped around the sword and it wouldn't let it out. The Reaper seemed to of notice my predicament and just rushed towards me, swinging his scythe with the intention to kill.

I decided that at least with the sheath the sword could be used for blunt force trauma against him. I rushed into his range of the scythe and got up close to him. I dropped down, and then used the sheath to hit his jaw with all of the strength and momentum I could muster. He was sent flying, and landed on the ground unconscious.

I looked at both Palkia and Dialga, who had stayed around for some reason. The Reaper was in between them, on the ground unconscious. His cloak was badly tattered, and there was a great deal of damage on him. I just looked at a red chain that was wrapped around his two hands. I took the sword, and just smashed the sheath down upon the red chains causing them to shatter.

The red chain which ensnared the two legendary Pokemon had also broke. I faced the two legendary Pokemon. The two of them were glaring at me and then focusing on the Reaper. Both of them weren't too pleased about being enslaved. They just began to charge up attacks.

"Stop!" I shouted. They both stopped and looked at me. I imagined I only had their attention for a few seconds before they started charging up another attack to kill the Reaper, and this time I probably wouldn't be able to stop them. "This might be selfish of me to ask, but can you please lend me your strength! Five minutes is all I need to alter reality and make sure that the Reaper never existed in this world! Please give me those five minutes to go back in time and across dimensions! Please, if your power can do that, please let me borrow it!"

They nodded, and sent two attacks towards me. Dialga sent a Roar of Time, while Palkia sent a Spacial Rend. Using the abilities of the source code, I grabbed the two attacks and shaped them into two giant balls. They then went into my body. I could feel the energy just surging through me. I reached down and grabbed the Reaper's cloak, a swift wave of my hand restored it back to it's original state, and quickly draped it around me. I figured that I should at least be cautious.

Immediately, I used the Spacial Rend to warp me partly back into my world, while I used the Roar of Time to go back to the day of the accident.

I pulled out my cell phone and began to dial the Reaper's number.

_Five minutes, that's all I need!_

It began to ring. He picked up his phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, bud!" I said. "How's it going?"

"Good, I think." He laughed. "I was just about to head out of the door. You sort of caught me at a bad time..."

_Well, that's the understatement of the century..._

"Actually, I just called because I'm having a little bit of trouble with my router." I lied.

"Can this wait?" He asked.

"No not really." I sighed. "Unfortunately, my sister won't stop bitching at me until its back up and we have the Internet again. You know how she is..."

"Yeah." He laughed. "Well I can try and help. What's wrong with it?"

"It just currently say's 'Local Only', I can't access the Internet and can only do things on the network. And I'm getting really sick of resetting the router." I had experienced this problem so many times before I knew it like the back of my hand. I'd easily be able to fake it. Honestly, I didn't need his help, but I needed to stall him, someway, somehow… and it was really the first thing that came to my mind. It was either that or "Do you have that chocolate chip cookie recipe that you gave me, I lost it?" And I'm pretty sure his response was going to be something like "USE THE INTERNET!"

"Have you tried turning it on and off."

"Of course, captain I.T." I said. "The problem still persists."

He walked me through several steps. "Okay thank you, I'll call you if it stops working." I said.

"Well, no problem, I'll be around." He said. "Is that all?"

I froze. I didn't think I had stalled him long enough. "Actually, there is one other thing, recently, I've been thinking about when we were younger. Do you remember Project Fantasia?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Do you think it was stupid?" I asked.

"In many ways, yes. We were stupid for thinking it would be that easy, just opening a big portal. And I think we were ignorant, we didn't know the workings of the world. It wasn't all black and white like we were thinking it was."

"I envy us from back then. Things seemed much simpler."

"Indeed." He said.

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later." I laughed. I felt reassured, that this person wouldn't become the Reaper, at least as he was right now. "Tell me when you're down again, we need to hang out some time, maybe have a few drinks."

"Yeah. See ya!"

I hung up the phone. Using some more of Dialga and Palkia's power I watched as he made his way out of the house and down the highway where the accident, was supposed to happen.

But right now, it hadn't occurred. Suddenly I heard a truck's horn go off. I could only watch in horror as it began to drive through the guardrail. And then time froze.

I realized that his death was all a set up. That he was murdered in this world, and it was no accident.

I teleported myself down onto the highway in front of the truck, and time resumed. The truck rushed for me, and cars were stopping, the people inside were all probably looking on in horror, or confusion as to where I came from. I just had the sheathed sword in front of me, for a moment the chains disappeared, I removed the sheath, and underneath it wasn't a blade, but rather a beam of energy. I swung the sword into the truck, and used aura to stand my ground. The truck pushed me back, it was at least five tons, and I was what, 170 lbs or so at the most, with an average build. Had I not had Aura, this would have been no contest, and I probably would have been road kill.

But eventually I stopped the truck from moving. It was now just blocking all three lanes of the one side of the highway.

I looked back at the now stopped cars. People were getting out, and looking at me rather confused and afraid. I took a few seconds to note that my hair was still white, and I hoped that The Reaper wouldn't recognize me.

I just jumped on top of the hood of the truck, and just looked at the clearly very terrified driver. I stretched out my hand and a wave of aura shattered the windows. I placed the beam sword right by his neck. For a second, I thought about ending his life. But I just withdrew the beam sword and began to walk away back to the Reaper's car. I was also using aura to keep an eye on him in case he did anything.

People were screaming as I approached and quickly tried to hide in their vehicles.

"He isn't human!"

"What the hell is that person?"

"This isn't possible!"

"He's coming near here!"

I could hear people locking their doors. Honestly, it wouldn't have done them any good.

I then stopped in front of the Reaper's car.

"Freak, now I'm going to be late!" He shouted frustrated. "Who do you think you are!? Are you another person sent after me?"

"In one sense of the word, maybe." I said, making no effort to disguise my voice. His eyes suddenly flared up.

"What the hell man!?" He shouted. "I was just talking on the phone with you, freak, what's going on!?"

"For you, it must be a shock to see me like this. It's only been a week since we last talked face to face. For me, it's been months." I replied. "Right here, right now, you are supposed to die, in an accident. I've traveled back in time to try and stop your death, here on this highway. Listen, when I leave here, your first instinct will probably be to go into that world. Don't. Never return there. I will seal up the gateways, so that no one can ever enter into it again."

"What is this about?"

"You all ready know, don't you." I said. "Project Fantasia. Zenith. You're an obstacle to them, and so am I. Unlike you, they were never able to find me."

"Then how do you know all this?" He asked.

I paused trying to think about how to answer that one. "You told me, in the other world." I eventually replied. "That's all you need to know. When you get back, call up the real me, and have a drink. But never speak of this. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go make sure that they leave you alone."

He nodded.

I began to walk away. For the first time I realized how much my body ached. Perhaps trying to stop that transport truck wasn't a good idea. Or maybe it was all the stress that was catching up to me.

"What did he say to that person?"

"What the hell is going on!?"

I didn't care what they said. I just made my way back towards the transport truck.

"You!" The driver of the transport truck finally shouted. He was now on top of the truck, and in one hand was a gun, while in the other was what appeared to be a switch. "You just made a big mistake! Don't move, or I'll blow up my truck! How many do you think will die!?"

I just raised my hands up into the air. "Is this how you view everyone?"

"They are necessary sacrifices so some idiots don't jeopardize our noble goals." The Driver said.

"And you're willing to die as well?" I asked.

"Of course, our goals are worthless if we don't believe in them." He replied. "You must be from the other world! I don't know who you are, but you're a threat that must be eliminated no matter what."

Being a physical god right now, and having the power to stop time before the explosion, and then warp space so that there were no casualties from the explosion, and it exploded in space or in a barrier or something, the only reason I was even letting him speak was in the event that he spilled more beans.

"So if I surrender, I'm just captured, and then practically tortured." I sighed.

"Why don't you drop your strange weapon, cloak boy?"

I just dropped the beam sword onto the ground. And then I just waited. I closed my eyes, and I saw a vision. I would be arrested, and then blamed for this. My eyes opened and I just grabbed the beam sword and stood up.

"Hey, don't you care for their well being?" He shouted.

"You don't have the balls to do it!" I shouted back, just walking towards the transport truck. I held out my hand. He tried to fire his gun several times at me, but his aim was pitiful, I didn't need to do anything special to dodge. I jumped onto the top of the transport truck and just stared down at him. He was shaking.

"I'll do it!" He said.

"Tell me, do you know what it means to live as though you could be killed at any minute?" I asked. "I've seen so much death, and so much destruction over the past 28 days that your threat is worthless. It's just a fruitless threat."

He suddenly fell down. All aura had disappeared from him. He was now dead. In the back of his head was a bullet hole. The switch that he had was now down on the ground. It was flashing. Horror must have crossed my face as I quickly deduced that it was a dead man switch, set to go off at any second after he died.

I just pounded my fist down against the transport truck. Instantly, a barrier appeared around the truck, and five seconds later it exploded. The barrier sustained itself for several seconds, and then when I was sure that everything was clear, I dismissed the barrier. The smoke escaped. People who were still watching everything were absolutely terrified. Had it not been for Dialga and Palkia's powers, I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through that one. Then again, if it wasn't for Dialga and Palkia's powers, I wouldn't have been here to begin with, so that's kind of a stupid thought.

I closed my eyes to find the sniper. It didn't take long. He was quite a distance away, but did next to nothing to actually conceal himself. He was on top of a building that could see the highway. I assumed that he thought no one was going to actually go after him, and even if someone saw him, he would be long gone by the time anyone got there. I just teleported to where he was, within an instant I had cut through the sniper rifle and had him down on the ground with the beam sword.

"You've got some explaining to do!" I said.

However, he soon fell over dead. I stared confused at the corpse. He had taken a cyanide pill with out me noticing. And then I heard a beeping. I quickly put up a barrier, and an explosion engulfed me.

When the smoke cleared, his body was completely gone. Incinerated to leave no proof.

These guys… They were serious. Did I really actually stand a chance against them?

For the first time I was shaking. This was the threat that I would be facing in trying to stop the worlds from fusing? Death meant nothing to them. Neither to their own men, or the innocent people who weren't involved with this.

They were determined to do this no matter what the cost. And I was just a single person… I was naive, I was foolish. I was an idiot. I wanted to run away. Now more than ever, I just wanted to run away, and live my life in ignorance that I was now going to be caught up in something far bigger than I was prepared to ever fight against.

There was suddenly a bunch of fully armed swat members that had surrounded me on the roof. With them was an all too familiar face. "Don't shoot him, we want this person alive." He said.

Part of me felt relieved that the person standing there ordering the mooks around was Tei. The other part of me felt nervous. That vision that I saw of him, where he explained about his friend, did that actually happen? Were his goals real? Was he actually working against Zenith? Regardless, all my doubt had just been washed away by his appearance.

"Agent Tei, so we meet in this world." I said. "Then again, I guess we haven't met in the other world yet either."

"You're not our target?" Tei said confused. "Just who the hell are you?"

"My name isn't important." I said. "Then again, you called me Nugai back in the other world."

"Nugai?" Tei repeated. "I'll remember it. Now, why did you interfere with our operation?"

"Go back, and tell everyone that I'm making a stand against Project Fantasia, and Zenith. Actually, I doubt that you need to, they probably all ready know. They're listening to this conversation." I took the hood of the cloak and used it to cover my hair. "Until we meet again. Also, I've made sure to stop Project Fantasia for now. You'll be finding it really hard to cross over soon so don't try."

They suddenly began to shoot at me. I imagined that they had received orders to kill me no matter what the cost. It was worthless for them to try. The bullets just hit a barrier. I just laughed and snapped my fingers. Soon, I disappeared.

I watched the world from the Reaper's perspective for a while. He didn't go back into the world. He was not being followed around by anyone from Zenith. They also seemed to be diverting their energy in trying and figure out who I was and where I was hiding. They came nowhere close to me in the real world. Even though Mr. Northriver was still watching me in classes, they didn't seem to make the connection that I was Nugai.

But there were some slight changes.

"And the search for the terrorist who identified himself as Nugai, is still going on." A news report said. Nugai was branded a criminal, blamed for the explosion of the truck, and an attempt to murder hundreds of people. "It's unknown why the bombs didn't fully explode, and how the explosion was contained. But if people see this person, it's believed that he is extremely dangerous, and shouldn't be approached."

I looked at the drawing of me. It thankfully looked nothing like how I actually looked at the time. My hair was longer. From the battle with the Reaper I had several cuts across my face. From stress I had lost a bit of weight.

The Reaper did take my advice and went to me in the real world and we had a drink together. He didn't say anything.

The tragedy had been averted!

I then looked at my hands. Dialga and Palkia had given me far more power then what I had asked for.

Now that I had changed everything, I wondered if I would fade out of existence. If that was the case, I decided that there was one last thing to do before I returned back to the other world.

It was time to go back to the day this all began.

I was in a video rental store. And a younger me had just entered the store followed by my father.

I went over to the Sega Genesis section to find the copy of Gunstar Heroes. My younger self would look at several other games, and then eventually decide on this. And then everything would begin.

I picked up the case in my hands. Everything then went black and white. Time had suddenly froze. "What's going on?" I asked puzzled. I knew I hadn't used Dialga's power. It was the same as when time froze with the truck.

"I call moments like these 'decision points.' a moment for someone such as yourself to make a crucial decision that will forever alter history." A voice said. I looked around the store, and my eyes focused on the cashier, as he was the only other person in the store capable of moving. He just approached me. The atmosphere around him was quite different, it was cold, inhuman. I recognized him as that strange man that had appeared in front of me at Smashville. He had a rather amused look on his face. "So, you've come back here to the point where I gave your younger self the ability to crossover into other worlds."

"You?" I said shocked. "Who are you?"

"You can call me The Observer." He said. "Now please, there is much to discuss."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly we were teleported into a room that was covered in a black and white checkerboard pattern. The man was also now wearing a black and white checkerboard suit. He just sat down in a chair and another chair also appeared for me to sit.

"All right, Observer, who or what are you?"

"I am someone who observes all of the parallel worlds and can interact with who I please." He said. "I guess in your words I would be considered someone with godlike powers. But really, I'm just a machine that was constructed by far more advanced aliens, and sent out to gather information on other life forms."

"Wait, aliens?" I said surprised.

"You're surprised by that?" The Observer said a bit confused. "I mean, you have the ability to go to another universe where fictional characters are real there, and you are surprised by other life existing in your universe?"

"Well, it's just we've never really confirmed life anywhere else." I managed to say. "And my mind has been more or less preoccupied with living the past 28 days to never really fully think about that somewhere out there, there are other life forms."

The Observer smiled. "Fair enough." He said. "Now then, I'm sure you have plenty of questions."

"Yeah, why did you give me these powers?" I asked.

The Observer just laughed. "I thought you would never ask." he waved his arm and all of the white tiles suddenly became like TV screens. All of them were just showing earth completely destroyed. Buildings were in ruin. Corpses were scattered across the streets. "I was not alone, the species that developed me, and launched me into space could see the future. And they saw the end of all existence, and the end of the multiverse, an endless darkness that would consume and destroy everything. They knew not where it came from, only that it would one day strike and the irreversible destruction of all reality would begin."

And then, the planets on the screens all exploded.

"This is why I gave people this power. In the hope to find someone who would be able to find the cause and then prevent the destruction. However, ironically, it seems that my giving away of this ability is the catalyst that will lead to the destruction."

_Huh?!_

I didn't know what to say. The Observer decided that he was going to talk again.

"Not all acted like you, when they found out about the other world, they got others in as well. Unlike you and The Reaper who decided to keep it a secret, others didn't. Others told others and brought them in indiscriminately. This power has one big downside, just bringing someone into the other world, gives them the ability to go freely between them too."

"So, I did give the Reaper the ability to go through the worlds." I said.

"Yes." The Observer said. "But, someone else got that ability just like The Reaper did. That person, I don't know who it was. So, we'll just call him Mr. X. Mr. X, unlike many others was an adult, and had a very different view of the world, and saw a great opportunity. Technology, and medical science. Things that hadn't been invented in your universe was there in the other. To Mr. X, I can only assume he was doing the logical thing in his mind. Trying to get those for the betterment of mankind. And that was the origin of Project Fantasia."

I just looked at him a bit surprised.

"Mr. X brought his theory and the ideas of Project Fantasia to the Government to get funding. It, worked out better than he imagined, and he got the funding he desired, and forming the company you know as Zenith. But those within the Government were also wanting this power for their own gain. I guess you could say that it's all politics."

I laughed at the rather stupid joke.

"People want power for their own gain." The Observer said. "If Fantasia was ever pure, it has mutated into something else now. If it was just for medical science, and the cure to diseases, it's now about the military and gaining new weapons for your wars. You know Nugai, this isn't the first time I've talked about Project Fantasia to you."

I nodded. "I figured that out a while ago. You were the one who warned me about Project Fantasia, or rather gave me the idea."

"Indeed." The Observer said. "I wished to make it known. I was also curious in what a child would do. I was amazed that you thought it was possible."

"I guess you could say I was ignorant." I said.

"Indeed." The Observer said. "But as you learned that it was impossible, and that there would be grave consequences, you grew. I knew that I could trust you to oppose Project Fantasia, the real one, not your childish theme park version."

"I'll stop Project Fantasia, no matter what the incarnation." I said.

"I like that spirit. But I don't think it will break so easily. You know you're going up against the world, society, you will probably be seen as a villain for trying to stop the next bit of human evolution." The Observer said. "For your little stunt and saving the Reaper from his assassination, you were practically made into public enemy number one here…"

I just sighed. I knew the lengths that they were willing to go to stop me just from stopping their assassination of The Reaper. "You're probably right." I said. "But, if I have to bear that burden, I will."

"I can't quite figure you out." The Observer said. "Why would you sacrifice yourself to stop Project Fantasia?"

I just looked at the ground and weakly laughed. "Well, I guess I met myself who told me the world doesn't need Andrew, they need Nugai."

The Observer just nodded.

"Still, you gave me power to stop everything from being destroyed, how can I stop that?"

"You can't." The Observer said. "The truth is, I don't even know if there is a way to stop what has been placed in motion. If I knew how to stop it, I'd gladly tell you, but I don't think the answer is just going to magically appear either. I've been observing other people, and universes for a long time. Not once have I found a hint."

"Earlier you said People! There are others right?" I asked. "So we can all work together, right?"

"You wish it was that simple, don't you?" the Observer laughed. All of the monitors displayed people. I looked at several of them. I saw one with someone with a Lucario. I saw another where someone was with Ike and the rest of the Greil Mercenaries. There was one where it looked like someone was stuck in a Smasher's body. Another world where there were people who were transforming into the Smashers and another human was leading them, he seemed to have the power to draw in spirits into his body. There was one where it seemed like the world was bending around a girl, and the Smashers had been replaced by several normal people.

All these other worlds that were displayed kept on having a seemingly normal human interacting with the Smashers, or with other video game characters. It just went on endlessly.

"They are parallel for a reason. They can't intersect unless something warps time and space. All of the universes are destined to die."

"So, you mean to tell me that in with an infinite amount of parallel universes and possibilities, you haven't found one that can prevent this destruction?" I asked.

"Correct." he said.

"So, doesn't that mean that there is something outside of the universes, some outside force that hasn't been involved?!" I questioned. "Where am I through out all of this?"

"Mostly dead." The Observer said bluntly. On the screen I appeared, leading the Smashers fighting against several monsters crossing over into my world. "You fight valiantly to send those that cross over back into their world. However, you are eventually struck down."

I watched the footage until eventually, a monster had killed me.

"This is the beginning of the end. Without you to send back the monsters, or anyone one else to take up your sword more and more come into this world, unable to return. The destruction continues. And then, eventually all is destroyed." The Observer said.

"But what if I gathered others who were like me and could transport the monsters back into the other world?" I asked.

"Pretty much the same result." Several more screens appeared I fell, and one by one the other humans fell.

"This isn't possible." I said. If it weren't for the fact that I was sitting on a chair, I'd probably be on the ground in shock.

"This is but one of the many futures I have seen. There are others, but the jist is, if no one can send back the ones who cross over to their world, then it quickly becomes a losing battle. But that isn't what destroys the multiverse."

"Then what is?" I asked.

"Eventually the parallel worlds crash." He said. "They collide, and fuse, but where a combination should happen, it just becomes a wave of destruction that leaves nothing standing…"

"I think there is still a way to prevent this." I said. "I think it's possible."

The Observer smiled. "Good. And how do you propose we prevent this disaster?"

"I don't know yet." I said. "But, I'll show you the world where I live and open an infinite amount of new possibilities."

The Observer just laughed. "All right, then show me this new future. You who have all ready deified fate once!"

"What?!" I said.

"You have continued to defy expectations. And I must say, this was never your story to begin with." The Observer said. "You were just always supposed to be some side character."

I just laughed; the stress was finally getting to me. "Is that so?"

"In fact, you were supposed to be dead all ready." The Observer said. "Divine protection, or your will kept you going. And you are now somehow alive."

I just looked at him confused. "I'm supposed to be dead?"

On a monitor appeared a rather familiar room. It was a basement. There was a TV on a homemade shelf and a bunch of games, and in front of the TV was a mangled corpse. Mine. The arms and legs were twisted the wrong way. "You tried to escape from the world when your 40 days were up a while ago."

"So, this was back when I initially decided to stay and live in Animal Crossing." I said.

"Correct. You tried to get out, but you were too late." The Observer said. "This is what should have transpired. And did, initially."

"What?" I said.

"In this parallel world, the Reaper was stricken with both grief and fear. It transformed him into something else. He swore revenge on people who weren't even involved, wishing nothing more than to destroy them." The Observer said. "He craved the power to destroy the world."

"What?"

"And he eventually got that wish. Learning dark magic from the Twili, and eventually coming across Dialga and Palkia." The Observer said. "He now had the power to alter history, and make sure that you survived and got out just in time. And that gave birth to you, and your alternate history."

I just looked at The Observer rather shocked. "No, none of this can be true."

"But it is." The Observer said. "People are linked by invisible chains, and effect others in ways that they don't know how. Hearing that his friend, the one person he shared the secret of crossing over into other dimensions, was dead, shook him. Even though for several years the two of you hadn't even talked, it still shook him, to the point that he irrationally thought it was murder. Likewise, his death in this universe shook you."

"What happened to that other universe?" I asked.

The Observer smiled. On screen was just endless devastation. "He learned that in his timeline, he couldn't bring you back, and just saving you merely created an alternate universe where you lived. He went insane, and became something far worse than the Reaper. Destroying both worlds and slaughtering billions."

What was scary about The Observer was that despite all of the footage of death and destruction around him, he was still perfectly calm. My guess is he had watched the footage countless times, or seen millions of events just like it to stop being attached and just accept it as something that happens.

"And despite this never being your story, I think you now have the power to save everything." The Observer said.

"With the Akashic Record and the Akashic Points?" I asked.

He laughed. "It's not that easy. If that was the case, I could of simply done it myself, but it isn't. Your power is something much greater than being able to alter reality."

"I don't exactly see how something can be greater than that." I muttered. The Observer just ignored me.

"You exist outside of the Passage of Fate." The Observer replied.

_Passage of Fate?_

"And that means what exactly?"

"Having survived when you were destined to die, you are free. You aren't linked to any fate, only what you choose for yourself!" The Observer said. "I believe the one who can save all existence's destruction is someone who simply exists outside of the passage of fate. I guess the real question is, what will you do?"

"I will do everything in my power to protect everyone." I replied.

He smiled. "Good. But your power may not be enough."

"So, I will need the help of others." I said. "How can someone exist outside of the Passage of Fate?"

"As far as I know there are two ways to exist outside of the Passage of Fate."

"And they are?" I asked.

He smiled. "The first is being able to go through the worlds. One can go through these worlds and very easily become stronger, fight, or gain abilities one that normally wouldn't have. Your aura is a fine example. You are no longer bound by your world's rules, and at least in theory, no longer bound by the passage of fate."

I smiled.

"The second way is to avoid death, or rather to die, and come back to life, like you have." The Observer said. "It was your fate to die, yet you were reborn. But like all things it's still an uphill battle."

"But we have the power of all of those who are able to cross over now." I said. "We should be able to work together and figure something out, right?"

The Observer just shook his head. "That is unknown at this point. They might not be willing to join up with you. They also might side with the others. They might not share your views on why the worlds should be separate, and then you might have some powerful enemies, those that dwarf The Reaper in power."

He was right; I could only assume that Rai, Sui and Tei were only the beginning of Zenith and the Government's forces. And quite frankly, I feared what would happen if there was an individual out there who would side with neither of us. "Still, it's a start." I said.

"A necessary start." The Observer said, "After all, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

"So, what should be my next step?" I asked.

"What were you going to do if I didn't talk to you like this?" The Observer asked.

I was a bit shocked by the question. "Um, well… I was planning on temporarily closing the passage between the two worlds to buy time."

"In that case, I'd say continue with what you're doing." He said. "A temporary seal is better than nothing, as long as you remember that it's temporary, and work on trying to find a better solution."

"Right." I said.

"Now then, let's talk about something else. If you do join the fight, in your current state, you might be a liability." The Observer said.

"What do you mean?" I asked shocked.

"As strong as you may be in the awakened aura state, it has one fatal weakness." The Observer sighed. "Aura is your energy, all you're really doing is just using that energy faster. You will only last about 2 minutes tops at your current rate, possibly a bit longer if you don't actually fight and just stand there. That is why you were next to unable to use aura after achieving that state. It had simply used up a great deal of aura, and your body subconsciously stopped you from using any more aura to save your life."

I just stood there a bit shocked. "That was worthless then?" I said.

"Unless you can beat any opponents who may be stronger than the Reaper in under two minutes, and then stall long enough for all of your aura to return to normal levels. Which I currently estimate to be at least two days." The Observer said.

_Crap… so I shouldn't of gotten that power…_

"As a normal human, who has only just learned how to control your aura, your container isn't very big. For illustration, imagine a single 355mLcan of pop. While decent, it quickly runs out. For a single person, a 2 liter bottle lasts much longer than a can."

"Is there a way to retain my aura, or quickly gather more aura?" I wondered.

"There is. Lucario's spikes aren't just for show, or a constant reminder that tackling him is a really bad idea." The Observer said. I just glared at him. "They are constantly drawing in aura from the surrounding area, so he can use it."

"So, I'd need a spike or something in my body to constantly use aura?" I said.

"Yeah, though I recommend against it." The Observer sighed. "Especially if you are to return back to your planet, something like that would be rather hard to hide. And I'm sure you don't exactly want some metal rods sticking out of your body."

"I could always say it's just a fashion statement."

"And I will say it looks incredibly stupid." The Observer said. "Although there may be another solution."

"Such as?" I wondered.

"I'll find one for you." He said. "But don't expect it to be free."

I just cringed; I didn't exactly expect whatever payment choice he had to be all that pleasant. "Very well then." I said. "If it's necessary to save the universes."

The Observer just looked at me. "You're interesting. I'm not sure how others would of reacted to all that I have told you, but you just seem to be accepting it. It wasn't the first reaction I thought someone would have though."

"I just know this has to be stopped no matter what." I said. "I can't let it go on for much longer."

"Fair enough." He said. "You're also the first person I've ever really talked to. Is this what it's like to have a friend?"

"I guess." I said a bit nervous.

"My real name is Unit 745." The Observer said.

"Andrew." I said.

"Strange, to me, it looked like you secretly didn't want to know your name. You've been trying to find a way to forget who you are." The Observer said.

"Maybe that was the case." I said.

"And now you've got your name back." The Observer sighed. "Do you have your other memories back yet?"

I paused for a few seconds. "I think there might be a few of grade school that I still don't have. But I don't particularly care about them."

The Observer just nodded. "It's funny, all this time I've wanted to experience school, and other things." The Observer said. "While I can be there and watch it. I can't interact, I can't answer questions, play games, or go out for recess."

I was rather confused. The Observer said that he was nothing more than a machine, but at the same time, he seemed to be human.

"But your body..."

"It's just a hologram." The Observer said. "It's not all that much. Please, shake my hand." He stretched out his hand. I grabbed it and shook it. It was solid, but it certainly didn't feel like a hand. It was just like I was grabbing plastic or porcelain, a moving version of one of those display mannequins that clothes are on in a store.

"That's the most I can do, and I don't even feel anything. I would just be found out extremely quickly." The Observer said. "They never intended for me to come out and interact with humans. The only reason I have this is to in theory kill who ever will create the catalyst."

I nodded. I thought it was rather tragic.

"Well, once I get back to my place, in my world, you can drop by any time." I said. "We could play some Smash, or anything else."

"Nugai, thanks." He said. He seemed to be smiling. I didn't know, was the Observer genuinely happy about that? Or was it just a pre-programmed reaction? Maybe wherever he came from, they had created an advanced AI that could emote realistically. "I'm glad I met you."

"Same." I said.

"It looks like our time together is just about up. So, even if it was by chance, you do exist outside of the Passage of Fate." The Observer said. "However, one person can not do very much alone. And fighting against fate is still a giant undertaking. Fate is cruel, and will always try to steer its course back the way it's supposed to be. Return back to your world, and reflect on what you must do. I may appear in front of you again..."

I blinked and I was transported back into the store. I looked down and saw my younger self-looking up at me. It was almost as if he was about to cry. It took me several seconds to get my bearings. Had I just been standing there looking at the case? I imagined at most it had only been ten seconds. I just looked at the case in my hand, and then again at my younger self.

"You wanted this game didn't ya?" I asked.

"Yeah." he said. "My best friend is coming over tonight and I wanted to get it since it's two players."

I just smiled. I didn't want to deny him or myself of the game. "I've played it before." I said, putting it back on the shelf. "You can have it kid. I'll find something else to play this weekend."

He seemed overjoyed. I walked away but something was nagging me in the back of my head. I glanced back at my younger self, and then said. "By the way, kid, it's called Gunstar Heroes."

He looked at me a bit confused. And then tried to read the words. Back then I didn't know the name. I just memorized the box art and had seen it plenty of times before. For some reason I was pretty sure I called it some thing else.

I walked towards the Observer. "Have you found anything you want Sir?" he asked.

"Even if I did, my debit card wouldn't work in this time."

"Indeed." he said. "I look forwards to meeting you again."

"And I look forwards to showing you a future that isn't destroyed." I said.

I walked out of the store, and teleported away.

I returned back to the other world.

I immediately collapsed on the ground and looked up at both Dialga and Palkia. It was suddenly much harder to breath. "Thank you." I managed to gasp out. The two of them vanished. I looked at the Reaper who was beginning to fade away. "It's finally over." I laughed, trying to gather strength to stand up again. Somehow I managed. I walked over to the Reaper. He was conscious, and also struggling to get back up. I just extended my hand. He grabbed it and then we walked to a wall and both collapsed against it. And then the Reaper began to glow.

"You saved me." He laughed. "Just like you said you would."

"Yeah. Sorry it took me so long to come to your rescue." I said. "I guess now, everything is going to correct itself..."

"So, that's how you did it, you altered the records back there. You stopped my death..."

"Yeah. Freak, my body hurts all over from doing that." I laughed.

"I don't think anyone else would be crazy or stupid enough to jump in front of a truck." he laughed.

"It was the first thing that came to mind. Okay." I said rather annoyed. "I didn't know how else to stop a truck speeding towards you…"

He stretched out his hand and suddenly a bullet appeared in it. "These are the memories of the time I spent as the Reaper. There may be a time when you need to restore them in the other world. If that time ever does come, please do it, by just shooting me with this."

I looked at the bullet rather shocked. Eventually I reached to take the bullet, however three more appeared in his hand. "And these are Rai, Sui, and Tei's memories that I had removed. They had come after me in this world to finish the job. They served under me for a time, to try and get close, but when I figured it out I was able to remove their memories. There might be a slim chance, but you might be able to use them to your advantage."

"Thanks." I said.

He had a smile across his face. "Nugai." He managed to say. "If we meet again, let's just fight in Smash Bros, just like the good old days. No Nugai, no Reaper. Just us."

"Yeah." I said.

He stretched out his hand, and I grabbed it. His grip was firm. "To be honest, I'm afraid. Is this what it's like to die? Will I just return back to that previous state? Will this person be erased from existence, and the new one start at that point?" He said.

"I don't know." I said.

"Well, whatever. I'll be waiting for you. If you ever need help to stop Fantasia, and Zenith." He said. And then, all the strength began to fade from his grip, and he completely disappeared. "Beware the mole, he's still in Smashville, and he is still bitter."

I fell back, gasping for air. The Reaper was finally gone from this world. All was well. My eyes were looking at the spiralling sphere of energy and bar codes. Slowly I pushed myself up, and walked back to the source code. My body was glowing and beginning to disappear much like the Reaper. I figured it was only natural, he was the reason why I was brought into this world, if he never came in, I would never of been dragged in. I'd soon be back at my house, ready to play some Brawl...

My eyes focused on the sphere of barcodes and energy. I was determined to reach it before I fully disappeared. There was only one other thing I had to do before I also disappeared. I needed to make sure that the worlds are truly independent from each other, so that no one would be sucked into this world once again.

I reached out for the source code and began to alter it to create a new order. One to close the link between the two worlds, and stop Project Fantasia, at least for now. When I was done, I collapsed, and blacked out. I assumed I soon dissolved like the Reaper did moments before.

* * *

"I found him!" A voice shouted. I opened my eyes and looked around. It was dark. I couldn't quite make out who the person standing in front of me was.

_Did I make it home? No, I couldn't of. I lived alone. Maybe I'm outside, and someone filed a missing person report..._

"Damn it, it's too dark, I can't see anything." I muttered.

"Oh, sorry, it looks like the fight with the Reaper knocked out the lights here." the voice replied. A plume of fire suddenly appeared in the palm of his hand and I could tell that it was Lucas.

_I haven't vanished? What, why? I thought the Reaper dragged me into the world; I made sure that he never came to this world! What's going on? Could this just be a delayed ripple effect? No wait I had moved to someplace else... what's going on?_

Tons of different thoughts rushed through my head. I was extremely confused.

I took a look around my surroundings. I was in a giant crater against the wall, and damn, did my back ever hurt. I struggled to get up, Lucas seemed to realize what I was doing and quickly helped support me. I was slightly afraid that I was going to be too heavy for the young kid. But, he actually was rather strong despite his appearance.

_That's right, he grew up on a farm of course he would be strong..._

We slowly walked out of the train station where several Smashers had gathered.

"The Reaper was fended off!" Ness laughed, having his baseball bat rest upon his shoulder.

"Yeah, you did a good job Nugai!" A voice said. I certainly didn't recognize the voice. My vision was kind of hazy too. Not to mention everything was still far too bright since I was in the darkness.

"Please, I really did nothing." I admitted.

_Well, if you count altering the very fabric of reality as nothing... Why am I still here? Is there actually going to be a giant fading out of existence tearjerker scene where I have to say goodbye and thank you for everything?_

I looked at the person who had just talked. My altering of reality was successful. Standing there was Lucas' twin brother Claus. He wore his blue and yellow striped shirt, and brown pants. He also had messy orange hair. However, on his wrist was a strange watch.

"Well, I don't think the Reaper will be bothering anyone from now on." I said.

"Are you sure, because it looks to me like you got your ass kicked!" Captain Falcon pointed out.

_Yeah, that's only a small price to pay for erasing him out of existence..._

A nearby tree fell over, having been sliced through by a bladed weapon. Everyone quickly jumped away. "Who's not going to be bothering anyone?" A voice asked.

Much to my, and all of the Smasher's horror, standing there was the Reaper.

"Okay, what the fuck!?" I shouted outraged. "I erased you out of existence. I removed you from the timeline. I changed the event that and stopped you from coming into this world and adopting the Reaper persona! I saw your body fade away! Why are you still here?"

Lucas and a few other Smashers looked at me rather confused at my rather colorful language.

"You don't get it do you?" The Reaper laughed. "Any human, no matter who they are, leaves behind a signature in this world. You met your previous signature, what makes you think that the Reaper would of been any different? I'm no longer the Reaper, but his digitized signature."

"That makes absolutely no sense!" I said. "Only I could see my signature previously!"

"True, normally the signature is a lot weaker, but I was able to retain the body by using the sacrifice that I had originally intended to bring back Lucas' brother and mother. Now, I am just a fragment of his legacy left behind. And unfortunately for all of you, I have none of the softness that he had! Watch as Smashville is baptized with your blood!"

I grabbed my sword, ready to fight him once again; this time to make sure that the slaughter wasn't going to repeat itself.

_Not again. Not this time._

A blue blur rushed for the Reaper and delivered a punch that sent him flying, and skidding across the ground. He had essentially been hit with the power of a sonic boom. The Reaper however got back up and looked frustrated at Sonic. The other Smashers also all began to pull out some weapons. Varying from Super Scopes, to Smart Bombs.

"If the real Reaper isn't in you, I won't be holding anything back anymore." I said.

"Good." The Reaper laughed. "I look forwards to our final battle. Since it doesn't look like you will actually be capable of fighting right now."

The Reaper then teleported away. "Survive, if you can! My mole is one among you. I think it's time for you to kill some of them. If you don't, I won't hold my side of the bargain."

Everyone just looked at each other suddenly paranoid. It was quite clear what the Reaper wanted to do, sow the seeds of distrust between us. "A mole?!" Claus said.

"Mewtwo, can you tell us who the mole is?" Dr. Mario said.

"I'm afraid not." Mewtwo said. "Whoever is the mole, he has somehow blocked that memory from being read by the psychics..."

"So, I guess the best option is to not be alone." Dr. Mario said.

The Smashers all nodded. And it wasn't long before they all began to walk away in at least groups of three.

"Hey, let's get going." Ness said to me.

"Just a second." I said. I just rushed towards Mewtwo.

"You said you knew who the mole was previously, right Mewtwo?" I asked.

Mewtwo just nodded. "Yes, but all I'll do is stop him from trying to kill any Smashers. I won't out him."

"Why not?" I asked.

Mewtwo just looked at me. "Because, I think you need to do that."

"Why me?" I asked.

"Why not?" Mewtwo replied.

"That' isn't exactly a suitable answer." I said rather annoyed.

Mewtwo just sighed. "Okay, listen Nugai. It's all politics, it has to be you, if another Smasher tried to out the mole, then-"

"But, I am a Smasher."

"You're just a temporary fighter." Mewtwo said. "You were just given the Smash pendant, and everything else due to our situation. If it's anyone else but you, the mole can weasel his way out of it. It will just become the blame game and it may destroy the Smashers. That's why it needs to be, no, why it will be you who reveals the mole's identity."

I was a bit shocked. "But, I don't even know where to start!" I said. "I mean..."

"The Mole has left tons of clues. You just need to find them." Mewtwo said. "Now then, I need to get going." And then he teleported away.

"So, if you don't reveal who the mole is the Smashers will destroy themselves." Ness said.

I just jumped up in shock. All of the kid Smashers began to burst laughing. "Jeeze, don't sneak up on me." I said. "You almost took off four years off of my life."

"Sorry, sorry." Ness said.

"Ah well, whatever." I said. "Let's go to somewhere else."

We made our way around Smashville. However, now I noticed that everything was practically in ruins. There was nowhere to really go. Every house was destroyed, every building except for a majority of the town hall, the train station, and the stadium that was outside of Smashville. Some of the Wireframes were gathering up any remains. While others were now rebuilding houses and other things.

We made our way back to where the kid Smashers' house used to be. "Even our snow fort is gone." Toon Link cried.

"Of course it is," Claus said. "He attacked here first."

"Still." Toon Link said. "We spent all that time on it, and now it's gone."

"It would of melted eventually." Popo said.

They all seemed to go to investigate the scrap pile that used to be their house, trying to see if there was anything salvageable. I looked around Smashville, most of the other Smashers were doing the same thing. Sonic on the other hand was alone and walking down to the beach.

Slightly curious I rushed over to Sonic. I figured that even if I wasn't with anyone, the mole wouldn't attack with everyone now being able to see most of Smashville having no obstructions.

"Sonic!" I shouted.

He just turned and faced me. "Oh, hey Nugai. What brings you here?"

"Well, it's just with the mole, I thought you would be cautious." I said. "That and I was wondering why you weren't assessing the damage on your house like everyone else."

Sonic just laughed. "Well, first of all there was nothing that valuable in my house. Just the default stuff we got at the Smash HQ. Secondly, I figure I'm fast enough out run the mole. And besides, if he was somehow able to catch me, I would just need to use Chaos Control to get out of there."

I blinked at Sonic confused. "Chaos Control?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sonic said. "I can teleport from spot to spot. It's using a Chaos Emerald for time and space manipulation. Even if I was in a sealed rocket, with Chaos Control I could easily escape."

"Right, now I remember! It's in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle!" I said.

"That's right." Sonic laughed. "So, I don't think the mole would be a problem, if he was somehow able to corner me, I'd be out of there faster than you could say Chaos Control. Then I'd be with someone else and able to quickly reveal their identity. So, as long as they know about that, I don't think I'll even be a target."

I just nodded. "Well, that seems fair enough." I said. "But what if it's Captain Falcon, or someone steals his racer, and just tries to make you road kill?"

"I didn't know you were that twisted Nugai." Sonic said.

"I just thought that would make sense. Anticipate your speed, and plan for it. I think any half competent mole would do that. Either that or some sneak attack, that you can't react from, like wait until night time when everyone is sleeping." I said.

"Well, thanks for the warning, I'll be on the look out then." Sonic said. And with that he ran off.

I slowly made my way back to the kid Smashers' house. I passed by each and every house that I could. They were pretty much all the same. Just a wreck. If someone was lucky, they might of had a dresser, or some silverware, but it was mostly just complete destruction. I made it to my house. It was rather pointless to go through the wreckage. My time in here was drawing to a close, and I didn't think I could bring that much back without raising suspicion.

I turned around and then just paused. I looked at the wreckage and then at my hand. I wondered, did I still have some of Dailga's power? I raised my hand above the wreckage, and nothing happened. I just sighed. I looked at my hands and tried to summon forth some energy. Soon two spheres came out of my hand. One was blue, the other was pink. They were glowing rather weakly. "So, that's the remains of Dialga and Palkia's powers." I said. I could tell I had a little bit, but not enough to actually do something big. I might have been able to slow down time for a second or so, but not reverse the damage on the house and Smashville like I was planning.

I made my way back to the kid Smashers. They all looked up at me rather confused at where I had gone. "I just wanted to check out some of the other damage." I said. "Also dropped by the remains of my house."

They all glanced at the general direction.

"Nothing was there that I thought was worth getting out."

"Well, make a seat, and wait a while. We're going to be here all day." Ness said.

I just nodded. I quickly when to the remains of the snow fort and just sat on a boulder that hadn't quite been fully destroyed.

I looked at the kid Smashers. I was positive none of them was the mole. Claus was immediately out because the Mole existed in the previous timeline, so it couldn't be him. Lucas, while he previously worked for the Reaper, made it quite clear that he quit. And besides, even if he was still planning on bringing back his mother, he kind of used the one sacrifice he had to keep himself in existence. I think if that was the bargain that the mole had been talking about it was voided by default.

Ness, Nana, Popo, and Toon Link, didn't seem like they had a motive. Ness was with the Smashers since the beginning, and I doubted wanted revenge or anything. Nana and Popo, quite frankly, maybe it was because I didn't know them that well, but they didn't exactly seem like the two who would want revenge on the Smashers either. Toon Link, he joked around a lot, but he was never malicious. I doubt that even someone like him could of held malicious feelings towards the Smashers.

"What you doing?" Claus asked.

"Just thinking about stuff." I said.

"Oh?" Claus wondered. "Such as?"

"Who the mole is." I replied bluntly.

Claus just leaned in close and whispered into my ear. "I'm the mole."

"No your not." I said.

"How do you know?"

"I just do." I replied.

"I'm a psychic as well, I could easily block those moments from Mewtwo probing my mind." Claus said. He had a rather sly look across his face.

"This isn't funny." I muttered.

"Still, you were thinking that we were all innocent." Claus said. "I think you should be more cautious with lowering your guard. Any of us could be the mole."

I was a bit confused. Could Claus read my mind? Or was it just that obvious with what I was thinking.

"Someone has to be." I said. "But I don't think it's any of you. I can't think of any motivation you would have for wanting to kill the Smashers."

"Our mother is still dead." Claus said. "Lucas and I could want her back, and then leave the Smashers and just live as a family once again."

"No," I said. "That wouldn't happen." I knew Lucas had grown up. He had accepted his mother's death, and didn't want her brought back like that.

"Who really needs a motivation?" Claus said. "The mole could just be doing it just because."

I looked at Claus. I was concerned. How did editing him into reality work? Was he there with us for the past couple of weeks? Did everyone else's memories get edited? They all seemed familiar with him. So, I guessed it was okay. I couldn't just ask him outright with out bringing suspicion on myself. But, I still wanted to know.

"Claus," I said, "Sorry if this seems like an odd thing to ask but ever since the Reaper smashed me into that wall, my head's been kind of foggy. You were with us in the storage room right?"

"Yeah." Claus said a bit confused.

"How can you forget something like that?" Ness asked. "He was with us when that metal crate tried to squish us. He cut through it with his sword faster than Lucas and I reacted trying to knock it away with PK Flash and Love."

"Sword!?" I said a bit confused. They all just looked at me a bit strangely. There was some strange cylinder connected to his belt, but, it didn't look like a sword or anything. Just a metal cylinder. "I don't know." I lied. "It's almost like the Reaper did something to me. I remember the past 28 days clearly, it's just that the only thing I don't remember is Claus."

"That is weird." Claus said.

"Yeah." I said. I made a mental note for in the future. That I was unaware of the edits that I made, in that if I just made someone up and inserted them into existence, while everyone else's memories were edited to accommodate, mine weren't. Though with the heavy price of removing time off of my life for editing the Akashic Records, I doubted that I would be doing it again.

And then another thought crossed my mind. If, Lucas betrayed the Smashers in the other timeline to get his brother and mother back alive, what happened in this timeline? Did he still betray the Smashers just for his Mother?

"Still, now that Nugai said that the Reaper edited his memories of just me," Claus said. "I can't but help wonder if the mole doesn't know if he's a spy. Lucas, when you were with the Reaper did you see any other Smashers talk with him?"

I just looked horrified at Claus. He knew, he was somehow reading my mind. What was going on?

"I don't think that's the case." I was able to spit out. They were all now looking at me. "The Reaper did mention something about a deal. Seems like a conscious decision to me. Not something he would want to hide..."

They all were nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that's right."

"But what if it was a code word, or something." Toon Link said. "Like you see with people being hypnotized. They don't react until a certain word or phrase has been said."

"Yeah, he could have been sleeping up until that point." Popo said.

This was beginning to get a bit too scary. Knowing that he also had the power over the Akashic point, and anything would be a possibility made it that much worse.

"Or it could be something like this." Toon Link said. He quickly made a snowman and then pulled out a baton. He did some movements in the air, and then suddenly he began to assume a position much like that of a puppeteer. The snowman began to move of it's own free will, and then, it stopped.

"What was that?" Ness asked.

"The command melody." Toon Link replied. "I can control a body, basically. Normally it's just inanimate objects, like the snowman, or statues. For people it's a bit harder, since I have to be within a certain distance, and have to have their consent, but, what if the Reaper was acting like that. A Smasher is basically just a hollow shell, and the Reaper is using that to his advantage."

"But you said that they would need to be close." Lucas pointed out. "I wouldn't say that the Reaper has been really close to activate it."

"We probably have thought about this too much." I said. "I'm just going with it being a fully conscious decision by someone. That someone is willingly betraying the Smashers. But why? What would be their motive, and what would they have to gain?"

They left me to speculate alone, and they returned to going through the wreckage of their house. Eventually, Claus came back over to me.

"Can we talk, Nugai?"

I just nodded. "Okay, where?" I asked.

"Away from here." Claus said. "Somewhere where we can be alone."

"Let's go to the stadium." I said.

Claus just nodded. We walked towards the Stadium. Both of us were just looking around, trying to see if any of the other Smashers were following us. It must have looked really suspicious.

"You know, no one is actually following us." Claus said, having given up on looking around, and just had his hands on the back of his head. "We're perfectly safe."

"I just want to make sure." I said.

"Then use aura." Claus said.

I did that, and it was quite clear that no one was around us. We got into the stadium, and to be extra cautious, we found a super secluded place deep within the labyrinthine hallways.

"Looks like this place is as good as any." Claus said.

"Yeah, thanks. I wanted to talk to you too." I said.

"That's good." Claus said. "About what?"

"Have you been reading my mind?" I figured it was just the best option to come out straight.

"Yep." Claus replied.

_What?!_

I was genuinely shocked. This shouldn't have been possible. Mewtwo wasn't able to read my mind for a while now... If he was one of the most powerful psychics, this kid shouldn't be able to read my mind.

"Although prior to your fight with the Reaper, I couldn't. It always seemed to be broken, and shattered, and then covered with a thick fog. It was just impossible to read. Although I'm sure Mewtwo has realized by now your mind is practically an open book once again."

"Oh great... this can only end well." I muttered. "And what about Ness and Lucas."

"No idea about Ness, but, Lucas he's far too kind and will respect everyone's privacy. He won't read minds unless it's absolutely necessary." Claus said. "Now then, I answered your question, I think it's time you answered mine."

"Let me guess, it's either: Why did you bring me back to life, or what do you mean by altered reality?"

Claus smiled. "You're good. I'll take both."

I held out my sword. "I can now edit reality." I said. "I bonded with an Akashic Point. I brought you back to life because of things that happened in the other timeline. I was selfish. Lucas was in pain, and I wondered what would have happened when I vanished."

Claus just rushed and pinned me to the wall. I was actually surprised by the strength. For his age, he was certainly strong. He looked rather frustrated. "So, you just thought that I would replace you?"

"Nothing like that. The Lucas from that timeline was suicidal. He was willing to do anything to get you back." I shouted. "I was afraid of what would happen once I vanished. If he had another shock would he succeed in killing himself? Stuff like that."

"Lucas is a lot stronger than you think!" Claus said. "He has other friends in the Smashers besides just you! They would have helped him through it!"

"So you're saying you would have preferred to stay dead?!" I asked.

"I don't know. But does that give you the right to play with our lives? You're no better than the Reaper!" Claus snapped. "No, you're worse."

"What?!" I said.

"You're toying with our lives too. Don't think you're any different than him just because you brought us all back." Claus snapped. He grabbed a cylinder that was holstered on his belt. And then it began to spark with electricity, until it eventually formed a sword.

I held out my sword and got ready to fight at a moments notice. "I don't want to do this Claus."

We were probably going to fight. But I suddenly heard something. It was like a far away door that was opening. "Someone's coming." I said.

Claus just went back, and looked at the hallways. He quickly hid his sword. "What are you guys doing here?" Claus shouted down the halls.

"We wanted to see where you two had headed and what you were doing." A voice shouted back. It was Ness.

_They followed us? Why?_

"Well, Nugai and I just wanted to talk privately. That's all." Claus said. I had to hand it to him, he was a good actor, you wouldn't of been able to tell that a few seconds ago he was probably ready to rip me to shreds. "We're not quite done yet, could you just wait for us outside."

"Come on, no secrets between friends, right?" Ness said.

"Sorry." Claus said. "It's a private conversation."

"Fine, fine..." Ness said. "We'll wait outside."

I couldn't help but think that Ness saved my skin. There was no telling what Claus was going to do if left unchecked. We both watched as Ness disappeared, and we waited a few minutes, to make sure he wasn't just outside of the door waiting, and trying to listen in.

"Listen, Claus, what I've done I've done. I can't really change that fact. In that timeline, all of the Smashers were dead. I couldn't let the Status Quo revive them. Not again..."

"Sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me." Claus said. "You made the right choice. Still, was it worth the price?"

"I don't know." I said. "Maybe I acted selfishly, and just revived you so that Lucas had a replacement."

"If I was dead in the other timeline, maybe Lucas is a bit happier now..." Claus said. "Maybe it was worth it."

I just nodded.

"Zenith." He said.

"What about them?" I asked.

"It was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about." Claus said. "It seems like you're not aware of the different changes in the time lines."

"That's right." I said.

"Zenith showed up at the Smash HQ one day, it was when Lucas was kidnapped or defected, or whatever you want to call it." Claus said.

"And?"

"Nothing too big happened." Claus said. "The manager just greeted them, and they went up to the office to talk."

"What did they talk about?" I asked.

"No idea." Claus sighed. "Still, I think that maybe a similar meeting happened back in your time line."

I just nodded. "Possibly. I was looking for Lucas, so I didn't really notice that much else. But if I had to guess, Zenith was probably looking on the status of their little experiment."

"What experiment is that?" Claus wondered.

"The program that made me lose my battle against Marth." I sighed. "It was planned to be used on the Reaper to make sure he could be killed by the people of this world."

"Oh, I see." Claus said.

"I was just going to be the test run." I sighed.

"You should start trusting others Nugai." Claus said.

I just glanced at him a bit confused. That came completely out of nowhere.

"I was wondering why you were only really hanging around us." Claus said. "But, now I see why, you don't really trust anyone else. You thought that us kid Smashers were innocent."

"Something like that." I sighed. "Figured you guys were the least likely to betray me, and back when everyone was looking over me, I just guess I got used to hanging out with you guys that I never really looked for anyone else. Especially with me disappearing so soon."

Claus laughed rather amused. "Okay then. Now what?"

"Can we have a Smash match?" I asked.

Claus nodded. "Okay."

We made our way to the fighting room. Only making a brief detour to tell the other kid Smashers that we were going to have a quick fight. "Can I join?" Toon Link asked.

"Sorry, it's just us two." Claus said. "A man to man fight."

"Kid to teen fight you mean." Ness snarked.

Claus shot a rather dirty glare at Ness, and we departed for the fighting room. When we got there, Claus went to a computer and typed away. "Any stage?" He asked. A hologram appeared displaying all of the stages. I just looked through each of them. I didn't want to fight on final destination again.

"Temple." I said.

He paused for a few seconds. "Okay, fine." he eventually said. "Any items?"

"Smash Ball." I said.

"I'll put on Curry."

"Beam Sword."

"Super Scope."

I paused. Something was telling me that I should really be careful against him. I realized what he was doing. Both Ness and Lucas had attacks that Absorbed energy, I was positive Claus was the same.

"Bumper." I said.

"Ray gun." Claus added.

I was positive that was the last of the Weapons that could fire projectiles. If we kept going, he would probably add in the fire flower next.

"That's it." I said.

"Okay, same." Claus smiled. "Five stock sounds good?"

"Yeah." I replied.

We both stepped on a platform and a bright light teleported us away.

* * *

Nugai VS Claus

Stock: 5

Stage: Temple

Items: Smash Ball, Curry, Beam Sword, Super Scope, Bumper, Ray Gun.

We landed on Temple, and I was perhaps the first to react, not in the expected way of rushing to Claus and starting to fight though. I just began to gasp for air. The air was much thinner up here than what I was used to.

_What the?!_

Claus just glanced at me. "I guess you haven't had that many smash battles. Some places have a different atmosphere, such as the temple. There is a two minute adjustment period." Claus said. "You'll probably need it." He just went and sat down on a platform. I did the same.

"What about stages in space?"

"It's a simulation, in those a barrier is around it to keep the atmosphere that we're used to." Claus replied. "You should stop talking, and get used to the air now."

I thought about it for a few seconds, I wondered why he was currently unaffected. Not to mention, I was pretty sure that 2 minutes wasn't a very long time to get adjusted to the thinner air.

I just began to look around. The Temple was much bigger than I was expecting it to be. Then again, from the other side I always saw it as a 2D battlefield. I never really saw inside the temple. I reached for one of the areas that wasn't accessible, however a barrier just appeared, stopping my hand.

The temple also looked like it was ready to fall over at any moment. I placed my hand on a pillar and tried to break it, but nothing happened.

I looked at the watch. There was currently a countdown, I was guessing this was the adjustment period. And now only 30 seconds were left.

When 15 seconds were left, Claus jumped off of the platform and just got ready to fight. I looked at him. I also got ready to fight.

"Three, two, one, go!" A voice shouted.

Claus immediately rushed towards me. The kid was much faster than I thought. The next moment he was right in front of me. He sent a kick that knocked me back several feet.

_He's stronger than Ness and Lucas? With that absorbing ability, wouldn't that be broken?_

"Don't think!" Claus said. "Just focus on the match!"

He had appeared in front of me again. There was something terrifying coming from him, a certain overpowering aura. His movements were quick, and accurate. I could feel multiple attacks on my body.

"Don't disappoint me Nugai!" Claus said.

I retaliated with a kick aimed towards his head. It hit him, and he just glanced at me, a smile crossed his face.

"Weak, weak and pathetic."

This kid... he was someone completely different in battle.

I just delivered an uppercut, sending him a few feet into the air. "Stop talking, you don't want to bite off your tongue." I said.

Claus landed on the ground and just smiled. "You're right. PK Fire!"

He began to shoot several PK blasts towards me. I dodged the plumes of fire and tried to get close, but he kept on running away, only to face me again and fire several more blasts. His range was bigger than Ness and Lucas'.

"You should know something." Claus said. "In that game, the range of our attacks is different than in real life, so if you're thinking about that, and thinking at what range you would be safe at, you have another think coming. Not to mention, I can actually do things like move around, and attack in real life, instead of stopping and attacking."

I delivered an uppercut once again, sending him flying into the air. "You really need to shut up." I said, charging up an aura sphere. I threw it at him; he however kicked the aura sphere away. "Because evidently, you can't talk and walk at the same time."

"You're not supposed to attack when some is talking!" Claus said. "Isn't that just common courtesy?"

"No, that's stupid." I replied. Claus rushed towards me to try and attack, I however heard the sound of an item dropping. Quickly I began to run to where I thought it was.

It was actually quite easy to find. Using aura I was able to perceive the entire stage. The item had fallen in the middle area. I quickly entered into the cave.

"PK Thunder!" Claus shouted.

The ball of thunder rushed towards me, and hit me in the back. It didn't go through me and left me stunned for a few seconds. Claus quickly ran past me and got down to the item first. He came back up wielding a super scope.

He began to charge up an attack. I just struggled to try and break free, wondering why I was paralysed for so long, but I figured it was because of all of the damage he had given at the start of the battle.

The super scope had fully charged, and then the ball of energy hit me. I went flying back into the wall and bounced down towards him. Claus just smiled, and began to rapidly fire the super scope. Each shot hit me, until I activated my beam sword and began to cut through them.

The super scope onslaught had ended, mainly because he ran out of shots, I slashed my sword towards Claus however he jumped backwards to avoid the attack, only having a childish grin across his face to taunt me.

He just disappeared into the lower parts of the stage. I paused and thought about pursuing for a few seconds, but decided against it. I glanced at my watch, and noticed my damage was rather high at 180 percent.

A PK Thunder came out of the ground and rushed towards me. I just jumped away. "Unlike Lucas' and Ness' PK Thunder, mine can go through obstacles. However, much like Ness' it will end once I hit someone."

"How is that even remotely fair?" I wondered, doing my best to jump away from the attack. It eventually disappeared. I figured that his attack had reached the end of where it could go.

"Psychic abilities aren't fair." Claus replied. "They are based upon the creativity of the user, and what the users can think. In this case, in exchange for losing all of it's knock back and most of the damage it could deal, my PK Thunder stuns anyone for a while. In exchange for it being much faster and difficult to control, it goes through obstacles. But on a big stage like Hyrule Temple, that's not a problem."

"Interesting." I said. Another PK Thunder came up from behind me. I just jumped over it to avoid it. "But with aura, I can see wherever your attacks are coming from, even if you conceal them within the stage."

"I wonder, is that really the case?" Claus said. His voice was really close, I turned around, and he was right behind me.

_What the hell? When did he get right behind me?_

He placed his hand on my abdomen, and sent a PK Thunder just stunning me. "Against aura, I have one other ability." He smiled. "I can completely erase my presence. You're now down one stock."

He kicked me up into the air and I was sent flying. The stage kept on getting further and further away, and I just kept on spinning. Soon there was a bright flash of light, and I was on a platform right above Hyrule Temple. I looked at my watch, and it showed that I only had 4 stock left. I looked around, and Claus was nowhere to be seen.

I landed on the stage itself, and quickly tried to use aura to find Claus. However the stage was completely abandoned.

_If he was telling the truth about being able to erase his presence, then, this must be that ability..._

I grabbed my beam sword that was holstered on my belt and just got it ready. I quickly jumped down the hole to the lower portion of the stage. Claus was waiting down there for me. I just rushed towards him and slashed down the beam sword.

He got hit several times, however he put his hands in front of himself. "PK Fire!" he said shooting a plume of fire. It exploded on contact with a lot more force than Ness' or Lucas' attack. Instead of sending out a pillar of fire like theirs, it was just an instant explosion.

But, I noticed that Claus had also been hurt by his attack. At that close of a range, the explosion didn't discriminate. I just smiled and rushed for him. "PK Fire!" He shouted once again. This time I activated my barrier. It hit, and exploded. The barrier barely withstood the attack, while Claus was sent flying backwards.

I quickly rushed towards him and kicked him away from the stage. "Let's make this game even!" I shouted.

There was an explosion of light, and Claus came back to the stage on a platform. I quickly made my way up to the upper levels of the Temple so I didn't lose sight of him when he respawned.

I heard an item drop. I glanced over to see a ray gun. I quickly grabbed it only to jump into the air and throw it off of the stage. I was positive I couldn't use any energy weapons against him, he would just absorb it.

"So, we both have four stock now." He said, just landing on the ground.

"I could do basic subtraction." I said.

"Good, I was worried that you had hit your head too hard earlier." Claus said.

"Let's just get this over with!" I said.

The two of us rushed for each other and began to punch at each other. Our fists began to rapidly collide, but no matter what, neither of us stopped punching.

My hands began to go numb, but I didn't care. If I stopped punching, I imagined I would be hit, and he would score another KO. I glanced at both of our watches, with each punch our damage percentage was going higher and higher. Both of us had now surpassed 100 percent of damage.

I threw a kick, and he quickly jumped away from the attack. Both of us just stared at the other waiting for the other to make their move, and then Claus realized something.

"PK"

I realized what he had realized and quickly rushed to get up close to him. I used aura to strengthen my legs.

"Fire!"

He let it go, and I made sure to be at point blank so both of us were caught in the explosion. We both went flying and lost our second stock.

"You're crazy, you know that!" He said as we both respawned.

"Yeah." I said. "I figured it was worth it. We're still even."

Claus just flinched.

"In fact, I'd say I'm in a better position now, since I have the same damage percentage as you, instead of being higher." I said.

"I'm just getting started." He said.

He just reached for his watch and suddenly pressed it, the next moment he was covered in different clothing. He had transformed. I think I then realized my error.

Crap, I've been avoiding the items because I thought his Down B was an absorption shield. But it was a transformation! He's been playing this mind game since the beginning!

His new costume was, orange pants, black boots, a black vest, and a helmet on his head. He had transformed into the Masked Man.

A sword made out of energy appeared in his hand and he rushed towards me.

I swung the beam sword, and it clashed with his. The two of us just struggled, trying to overpower the other. Quite frankly, I was frustrated. I wanted to know how a kid like him could match my strength.

While we were struggling he put his arm cannon right on my stomach, and then fired. I realized what was happening and quickly jumped back to avoid the point blank attack. This time there wasn't an explosion; the bolt of PK Fire that rushed out just shot forwards, and after going a certain distance it disappeared. It was much faster, but I could tell it didn't have the same strength as the previous PK Fire. I'd have to link it to something similar to Fox's blaster.

He flew towards me with his beam sword ready. And once again we clashed. The two of us were just glaring at each other.

"Is this all you have Nugai?" He wondered.

"I'm just getting started!" I said.

"Good, so am I!" Claus laughed.

We swung our swords and they collided several times. Each time neither of us were giving in. We were both enjoying the match way too much.

"I think we're similar." Claus laughed. "We both enjoy fighting. Admit it Nugai, you're having fun."

"Yeah." I said.

Our swords clashed once again. I tried to send an aura sphere towards him, but he quickly jumped back and cut through the attack.

I quickly rushed for him; I swung the beam sword down, and cut off his arm.

There was silence. Both of us just froze. He looked down at his arm, and then at his watch.

"End battle." Claus said. "Override code 76716."

We were teleported back into the normal room. His arm was still on the ground. He just reached down and picked it up with his other arm.

"Claus, I'm sorry." I said in shock. "I didn't mean to."

"I know." He said.

"But I just cut off your arm..." I said.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Claus said.

"How can you tell me not to worry about it?" I asked.

"It can be replaced." He said, just throwing the arm at me. I caught it on pure reflex and then began to panic tossing it up into the air. I didn't want to touch it. Claus just grabbed his arm in the air and just let off a heavy sigh.

"Look, we can go to Dr. Mario..." I said.

"Would you calm down and look for a few seconds." Claus said annoyed. I paused, and looked at him. For someone who just lost his arm, there was a surprising lack of blood.

I looked at the arm, and for the first time I noticed, where the arm had been cut was in fact robotic parts.

"I lost a leg, an arm and an eye years ago in an accident." Claus said. "I'm partly robotic."

"Oh, I guess I'm quite lucky I cut that one off then." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, you're not." Claus replied.

The door swung open. Lucas, was there, his nose was running, tears were coming out of his eyes, he was gasping from air either from running here or crying for quite a while. He just ran over and tackled Claus to the ground.

"Claus." he just cried. "You're okay."

Ness, Popo, Toon Link and Red followed. They glanced at Claus and Lucas and then turned their attention to me.

"Nugai." Ness said, walking over to the computer that Claus had used to set up the match. "Answer me honestly, did you mess with the match settings?"

"No." I said.

"I set it all up." Claus replied. "Someone else must of disabled the safety."

"So, the mole just tried to kill you both in a battle..." Ness said. "Red, Toon Link you stay with Lucas and Claus. Nugai, Popo, you come with me. There is only one other area where the mole could have done this."

Popo and I followed Ness as he ran through the hallways. We eventually came to a door that was written extremely clearly on it "Keep out." Ness just went to it and pushed the door open, or at least he tried to. The door was locked. He just responded with a kick that sent the door flying off of its hinges and into the room.

Alarms began to ring, and Ness just walked inside.

"Should we be doing this?"

"Someone disabled the safety, this is the only other spot besides the terminal in that room that could change the rules of a match." Ness said. He made his way to a computer monitor, and a keyboard. After several seconds, he just let off a heavy sigh. "The mole was somehow here..."

"Somehow?"

"This room, if anyone enters it, then it's supposed to immediately stop your match as a no contest." Ness said, to avoid any serious injuries or death. "Someone got in here without leaving a trace..."

"Intruders, identify yourself." A voice said.

We turned to see two white figures. It was the Wii Fit Trainers. The female and male versions.

"Ness,"

"Popo."

"Nugai." I quickly said.

"Identify your reason for coming here." The female Wii Fit Trainer said.

"The safety failed during a match." Ness explained. "We came to see if this had been tampered with."

"Due to damage of the property, you are to be restrained immediately." She said.

They were both fast. They had moved in front of all three of us and immediately began to hit us at random spots. Suddenly, all three of us fell down to the ground rather limp.

"An investigation will be launched immediately." The Male Wii Fit Trainer said. "Your punishment will be decided upon the completion of the investigation."

We couldn't do all that much to resist. The three of us were quickly tied up and restrained. Slowly movement was restored to our bodies. Within a few minutes, Master Hand had made his way in front of us, along with the other kid Smashers. "Nugai, Ness, and Popo. Just what's going on here?" he was clearly frustrated.

"The mole struck while Nugai and Claus were having a Smash match." Ness said. "He disabled the safety during the middle of the match."

"I see." Master Hand said. "Well then, let's look at the footage."

We all looked at the security footage, but it quickly became clear that the mole hadn't entered into the room through the door. The footage from inside the room had all ready been deleted.

"The mole was a fool." Master Hand laughed. "In order to delete this you'd need an over ride code, every Smasher has an individual one. We now just need to determine that code."

After several seconds of typing, the override code 76716 was displayed on the monitor.

"Claus is the mole." Master Hand said.

I questioned how Master Hand saw that. Was he actually lying about being blind and could see things just fine and only used it as an excuse to get out of work. I didn't press it because of other reasons though, mainly trying to prove Claus innocent.

"But... that's impossible." I said. "Claus was in the match with me. He couldn't of over rode it then and there. And why would he set it to cut off his own arm..."

"I don't think its Claus either." Ness said. "He had to use voice commands, and actually say his over ride code since his arm had been cut off and he couldn't input it. The mole could have also heard it, and used it to frame him."

The other Kid Smashers were also joining in the defence of Claus.

"It could have just been a front." Master Hand calmly said. "He could of just done all that to make himself seem like the victim of the Mole's attacks."

"What!" Lucas shouted. "No, Claus is innocent!"

"Not to mention there are other ways to do this. You're just thinking that the mole was here at once." Master Hand said. "This could of been all predetermined. He could of easily set the DVR to not record at this time frame, and he could control everything else from his watch."

Several Wireframes grabbed Claus, he began to struggle. "Hey let me go!" He shouted.

I just froze. "Claus is innocent." I eventually said.

"And what proof do you have?" Master Hand asked. "Do you know the identity of the mole?"

"No I don't, but I'm positive it's not Claus." I said. "I'd trust Claus with my life, I'm that certain it's not him. Besides, he's innocent until proven guilty."

"Sadly such an idealistic thought won't work here." Master Hand said. "If he strikes again, and kills someone this time, it would be disastrous. Unless you have some sure fire proof that he's innocent."

"I do." I said. "But, can we talk about it in private."

Master Hand just floated there. "Very well then." He said. He began to float away, and I followed. Several more Wireframes appeared and restrained the rest of the Kid Smashers, so that they wouldn't try and free Claus, or follow us. We got to a few rooms down, and Master Hand just stopped.

"And what is your proof?" Master Hand asked.

I stretched out my hand and suddenly a barcode structure appeared flying around the room. "Can you see this?" I asked.

"Yes." Master Hand said. "You can edit reality now. You merged with the Akashic point."

"Then that's my proof." I said.

Master Hand just let off a heavy sigh. "I can't really explain that to everyone else you know that, right?"

"Yeah." I said. "Claus knows about it, and I'm sure Ness does, since they were reading my mind. But I'd rather not say what really happened today in front of the others. I can trust them to at least keep that a secret."

"So, this is the crisis that you prevented." Master Hand sighed. "You've gained a great and terrible power."

"I know." I said.

"And do you know the burden you will have to bare?"

"Unfortunately." I said.

"So, do you have any questions?" He asked.

"Where were you today?" I asked Master Hand.

"Watching to see how everything would transpire." Master Hand said.

"Watching!" I snapped. "You were watching everything?"

"Yes." He said. "I'm sorry that I couldn't step in. But as strong as I was, I can't deal with the Reaper. He is not a member of this world, and outside of my jurisdiction, if that makes any sense. If I fought him the aftermath would be disastrous. It's not one of the few affairs I can meddle with."

"You can't meddle?!" I was just growing more and more frustrated with the hand.

"But, I thank you for bringing back all of the Smashers. What you've done is priceless." Master Hand said.

"And why are you thanking me?" I asked rather annoyed. "The Status Quo would have revived them!"

"No, not really." Master Hand sighed. "The Status Quo was a divine law that was made a long time ago, and while it did bring back a Lucario, in an event such as today's, where all the Smashers died, the Status Quo wouldn't work like that, it would have gone on to the next cycle. Made a completely new batch of Smashers a hundred years down the line or so."

"What?!" I said.

Master Hand just floated there. "Yes." He said. "A new bunch of Smashers would be made. The next Mario, the next Luigi, the next Peach, the next Lucas, the next Mewtwo, you get the idea."

I just nodded. "I see."

"And then you brought back that boy... why?" Master Hand asked.

I looked at him confused. "Claus?"

"Yes, him." Master Hand said.

"Because, I felt Lucas deserved it."

"I wish you hadn't done that." Master Hand said.

I was a bit confused. "Why?" I managed to ask.

"His is a cursed existence. It always ends in tragedy." Master Hand said. "Every cycle he's involved in, he has died. You've brought him back just so he can get killed again."

I just looked at the hand in a rather threatening manor. "No, he'll live." I said.

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can make sure that he lives. I'll stay here"

Master Hand let off a small chuckle. "If that's what you think. You closed the two worlds, remember? And while it will take a while for the gateway to fully close, might take weeks or months, but when that time comes you'll have to make a choice to stay here, or go back home. And you can't stop Zenith on this end..."

I flinched. I knew he was right. Honestly, I didn't want to go away now. I wanted to stay in Smashville, grow old here with everyone else. I imagined this is what it must feel like to move away to a different city, or country. Leave everyone you know behind for hopefully a better opportunity, or life, only having the memories of your time together to cherish.

"Claus will be fine." I said. "I know it. This is one cycle that I guarantee will have a happy ending."

"For your sake, and the four years and three months you gave up, I hope so." Master Hand said.

I was a bit shocked. "How do you know what I gave up to edit everything?" I asked.

Master Hand just floated there. "Nugai, I was watching everything from a distance." Master Hand said. "I saw what transpired here. Now then, I think we've wasted enough time. We should go back to the kids, and you can take Claus to Dr. Mario to get his arm reattached."

I just nodded.

We walked back, and the kid Smashers were still restrained by the Wireframes. Ness had apparently gotten pretty violent and was now pinned down on the ground by several. There was a different aura around them; it was much crueller and stronger.

"Nugai has told me his proof. You're innocent, Claus." Master Hand said. Suddenly the Wireframes all disappeared. Ness got up off of the ground. Everyone was looking at me a bit shocked. I didn't have to be psychic to guess what they were thinking.

"What was the proof you showed or told him?" Lucas asked, rushing up to me.

"Sorry, it's a secret." I said.

They all looked a bit disappointed.

"Now then, you should go to Dr. Mario's." Master Hand said. "That arm isn't going to reattach itself."

Claus just nodded. "I'll go alone." He said. "It's bound to take a while."

He began to walk away. "Wait, I need to go check something at Dr. Mario's too." I said.

Everyone just looked at me confused.

"Maybe we should go with you." Popo said. "You might be the Mole's first target."

I hadn't thought about that.

"I think the mole may try to avoid me from now on." I said. "I want to think that the Reaper has decided that he will personally take care of me. Then again, with all that has happened, I don't know."

"Still, we shouldn't leave Claus alone either." Red said. "He's only got one arm right now, if the mole went after him he'd have a pretty good advantage."

They decided to follow us to Dr. Mario's just to be extra safe. We exited the stadium and then walked to a small clinic. Sitting behind a counter was Dr. Mario. "Why are you here?" He wondered.

"I need a hand." Claus said.

Dr. Mario's eyes widened, and he quickly rushed out to us. He took Claus' robotic arm and just looked at the two spots where it had been cut. "You'll need a new arm." He said. "I have a few spare ones."

I questioned why Dr. Mario would have a few spare robotic arms, but I didn't bother asking. I just assumed it was a bulk deal or something.

He directed Claus and Lucas to a single room. "Claus, have Lucas help you take off your shirt, and sit on the table, I'll be with you in a few minutes." He returned out to the lobby area and just glanced at us. "This will be a while, so I suggest you actually go wait elsewhere. I might also want Claus to stay over night so that I can double check to make sure there is no mistakes with the installation."

"Okay." Ness said.

Ness, Popo, Red, and Toon Link began to walk out.

"Actually, Dr. Mario there was also something I wanted to ask about." I said.

He glanced at me a little confused. The other Kid Smashers also froze and looked back at me. "About?" Dr. Mario said.

"I would like a scan once again." I said.

Dr. Mario looked at me a bit confused as to why. "Why?" He asked.

"Can we talk in private?" I wondered.

Dr. Mario just nodded. And we made our way into a room. I just sat down in a chair and looked at him. "Claus, Lucas and Ness can read my mind again." I said. "They had stopped being able to read my mind when it had deteriorated, but now, I wonder if the time has been reset, or if it was something else."

Dr. Mario just nodded. "I see. Very well then, in that case, please follow me, I'll take you to the scanning machine."

We went into another room, and several seconds later, I was hooked up to the scanning machine. He walked away, probably to go check on Lucas and Claus. I could hear a nearby printer constantly printing off new pages. And then, ten minutes later my report was done. Dr. Mario had made his way back into the room and he just looked at the results rather surprised. "Nugai." He stammered out.

I began to fear the worst. "Just give it to me straight, Doc." I said.

"You're perfectly fine. Your body is no longer degrading... it's as though your time here is now infinite."

At first I was shocked. I just stood there absorbing the words he had said and repeating them a few times in my head. Then once I was positive he had said what I thought he said a large rush of emotions just overcame me. I didn't know how to react. First it was a smile, and then the next I was crying with tears of joy. I didn't know if I should collapse, or just sit down on a chair, or start jumping for joy. "Thank you doctor!" I said.

He just nodded. "Should I inform the others?" Dr. Mario asked.

I suddenly came back to reality. The thought of how suspicious it was that I suddenly was no longer going to die in a couple of days crossed my mind. I could only imagine that this would put a large amount of distrust upon me again, along with the whole thing of my lie of telling them that the Reaper had removed my memories of Claus. "I don't think so." I said. "Although I imagine that they will quickly know. It will only be a matter of time before Mewtwo realizes he can read my mind again. And I doubt the kid Smashers would be able to keep a secret."

Dr. Mario just nodded. "Then, can I ask you what may of brought about this change, do you know anything that could have happened?"

I froze. "It might have been editing the Akashic Record." I said.

Dr. Mario just nodded. "So, those things do exist." He said. "Interesting."

"I think that's also where the Reaper got most of his power." I said. "He seemed to know what it was."

Dr. Mario's hand went up to his chin and he began to rub his jaw. He closed his eyes and just began to think things through. "I see. Still, Nugai, power comes at a price."

"I know that too well." I replied. I glanced at my hand. "4 years, and 3 months in this case."

"A heavy toll." Dr. Mario said.

"But, I think it was worth it." I replied.

"Well, you can stay here for a few minutes to compose yourself. I need to go check on the other patient." Dr. Mario said. "Lucas is probably going to be in the waiting room in a few minutes, so you can wait there."

I just nodded. Dr. Mario walked out of the room, and I followed, making my way to the waiting room.

It was as though a miracle had occurred. I was finally safe. I wasn't going to die here like this! I could spend as much time as I wanted!

I was finally calm. I just put my hands in my pockets and then froze. I felt something unfamiliar in them. I reached in and pulled out a bullet. I began to look at it, my eyes were going over every single little nook and cranny of the shell. It had Reaper etched into it, in small rather neat writing. It was his memories. I don't know why he gave it to me; after all, he would still be dead when I returned back into my world. Like what had happened with me, I had merely just created an alternate universe like he did. He wouldn't exist, and I wouldn't be able to meet up with him and play that match of Smash Bros.

I began to fiddle with it, just seeing if I could do numerous coin tricks with the bullet. I then heard someone walking towards me. I quickly hid the bullet. Entering into the waiting room was Lucas. He just looked a bit nervous.

"How's Claus?" I asked.

"Crying like a baby." Lucas replied.

"What? Really?!" I said shocked. "He seemed so tough and... I mean he didn't even really flinch when I cut off his arm..."

"Yeah." Lucas said. "The artificial limbs are painful to replace. If they are removed or a new one is put on, stuff has to be done so it functions like a normal limb. Claus always has said it's been painful, and he never wanted me to see him like that."

I just nodded. "How did he lose his arm?"

Lucas just flinched. "I'd rather not talk about it." He said. "It's not something I like to recall."

"I'm sorry." I apologized.

"It's not the only part of him that's robotic though." Lucas said. "He also doesn't have an eye, and a leg."

I flinched. "I'm sorry."

I recalled how it happened in Mother 3. Claus went to fight the Drago that killed his mother, however, he was killed in the process. I wanted to know how it had happened in this world, but I decided to respect Lucas' privacy and not prod him further.

_I wonder, I saw the history of this area; can I do it with other spots?_

I closed my eyes, and just concentrated. Suddenly I envisioned a book appearing in front of me. I reached out and grabbed it.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asked.

I opened my eyes; I was also reaching out for a rather non-existent book here. "Just trying to get used to something." I replied back. "If I drift to sleep, can you wake me?"

I closed my eyes once again. This time only in my mind's eye did I do any movements. I began to investigate the book. It was labelled Mother 3: Claus Lives Edition, it was just a simple faux leather red cover, with the words on it embossed in gold.

_A novel?_

I opened the book, and just speed read through the pages. Most of it, at least at the beginning, played out the same. The major exception being when Flint and Wes were fighting the Mecha Drago, after they had finished the fight they made their way to Tazamily village. Perhaps by chance, they saw a crow flying into a valley. Their eyes followed, and there they saw the badly wounded Claus.

They brought him back to Tazamily village, where he was barely able to survive. With their limited technology, and medical care, he probably wasn't going to survive for very long. Lucas and Flint were told to expect the worst.

"He's just hanging on by a thread Flint." Someone had told his father. "I'd give him at least a month. It really depends on his sprit."

And then there was Lucas. He was there with Claus, who was covered in bandages. His arm was gone. His one eye was covered with bandages. His one leg was gone. Lucas constantly was crying over his brother's bed. A boy from the village, Fuel was also there looking over them.

And then one day a boat arrived at the island. On board it was Master Hand disguised as a human, a younger Ness, and Doctor Mario. "Why did we come here?" Ness asked.

"Strange people have been reported here." Master Hand said. "They wanted us to investigate it, and there might also be a Smasher candidate. I want to see if you can find him or her."

"Okay." Ness said.

They just walked through the village. Dr. Mario visited several old people and checked up on their health. And then the three of them were approached by Flint. "Doctor." He said, instantly getting on the ground and begging. "Please, you have to save my son."

"What happened?" Dr. Mario asked.

"Please, follow me." Flint replied.

They followed him to their house on top of the cliff. Claus had been returned back to the house. Lucas on the other hand was currently tending to the sheep.

"It would probably be for the best if he stayed out here." Flint said, motioning towards Ness. Unknown to Flint, Ness had all ready read his mind and seen the person that Dr. Mario was going to look at. "Lucas!" Flint shouted. "Come here, can you entertain the guest."

The little blonde boy rushed up and just looked at his father and then at Ness. "H-h-hello." Lucas stuttered out. "I'm Lucas."

"I'm Ness."

"I'm just doing my chores right now." Lucas said. "I'll be done them quickly."

"I'll help you." Ness said.

They made their way to the animals, and Lucas went to some bushels of hay. He lifted one up and dragged it towards some horses.

"Here, let me help you." Ness said, rushing over to another one. He tried to lift it up, but much to his surprise it was actually heavy. He glanced at Lucas, surprised at how he carried it.

"It's probably too heavy for you." Lucas said. "Unless you're used to it."

"Just give me a second," Ness said. He widened his stance and moved around his arms before spitting in his hands and then rubbing them together. Ness then lifted the hay and moved it over to another stall for another horse. During all of his rather showy and excessive movements he had used Offense Up to boost his strength a bit.

Lucas just smiled. "Good job." He said. "With you here, maybe my chores will only take half the time."

"What else do you have to do?" Ness wondered.

Lucas began to list off several things. When he had finished, Ness just said. "That's a lot for just one person to do."

"I've recently had to take over all of my brother's chores too..." Lucas said.

Ness' face went white.

"I see." Ness said. "What happened to your brother?" he all ready knew the after effects, but wanted to know what had caused it. Flint's mind was far too focused on the present, and Ness really couldn't dive in deeper without giving himself away.

Lucas just flinched. "He was hurt." Was all Lucas said. "I'd rather not talk about it. I've got some chores to do."

Ness helped Lucas. Occasionally, Ness glanced up at the house. He was expecting Dr. Mario to have come out by now. After a few hours of working in the blazing sun the two of them had worked up a sweat. "And we're done!" Lucas said.

Ness had collapsed on the ground. He didn't know how Lucas was still going. His endurance was kind of unbelievable. "I need to cool down." Ness said.

"How about we go to the river then." Lucas suggested.

Lucas just led Ness through the village and into a forest, until eventually they came to a river. Lucas just removed his shirt and then quickly jumped into the water. Ness decided to follow suit. The river was so refreshing for Ness. After some time they made their way back to the house.

Lucas just invited Ness in, and Master Hand was waiting in the kitchen for them. "Where's Dr. Mario?" Ness asked.

"Still upstairs." Master Hand sighed.

Lucas just went to a fridge and began to get out some stuff. He quickly began to make some food. He pulled out a few bowls, and then passed the food to Ness and Master Hand. "Please eat up." Lucas said.

On the counter there was a tray with four more bowls. "Let me help you." Ness said.

Lucas seemed hesitant. "No, please just stay here." Lucas quickly said. He took the tray and began to walk upstairs. Ness stood up, however he felt Master Hand's hand on his shoulder.

"Have you all ready read his mind to see what condition the boy is in." Master Hand asked.

"I read Flint's mind. Not Lucas'." Ness said.

"Then you know what you're about to get into." Master Hand said, removing his hand. Ness just followed Lucas up stairs, and caught up with him outside a room.

"Ness, why are you here?"

"Well, you couldn't get the door by yourself." Ness said, quickly rushing over to open it. The door opened and Lucas walked in.

Flint was on a chair. Dr. Mario was over the bed. And there was someone on the bed, currently covered by a bunch of blankets. "I brought some food." Lucas said.

The person on the bed turned his head to Lucas, but his singular eye looked at Ness. Ness just froze. He could sense this person reading his mind. The boy in the bed was a psychic as well. "_Stop that._" Ness said.

"_You're psychic?!_" The boy said. A smile seemed to come across his face.

"_Yeah._" Ness said.

"_That's great, I finally can talk to someone!_"

"_Lucas isn't psychic?_" Ness thought.

"_No, I only got my powers right before they this happened... Lucas hasn't had his awakened yet._"

Their telepathy conversation was unfortunately cut short. Flint just grabbed Lucas and began to cry.

"What's wrong Dad?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing's wrong. The doctor said that they could save Claus!" Flint said.

Dr. Mario just stood there. "Yes, we can do things to help him. It will require a few sessions and treatments and him coming with us."

Lucas smiled and dove for Claus hugging the badly wounded boy.

They moved to a city, where the operation took pace and Claus was given mechanical limbs. In the beginning they were just basic prosthetics, then they became mechanical, but rather visible. There was nothing trying to disguise them as normal limbs. They were just robotic arms. Eventually, he did get robotic arms that looked almost realistic.

_So, that's how it happened..._

"Hey, Nugai, are you awake?"

I opened my eyes. "Yeah." I said.

"Come on, Dr. Mario called us."

We walked into the room where Claus was. He was fully dressed, and now had his arm back on. Currently he was stretching it and just doing a bunch of exercises to make sure that it moved in every which way. His eyes were a little bit red, I imagine possibly from tears.

"Well, I'm ready to go whenever." Claus smiled. "Just lead me to the mole, I'll catch him, and gut him for this one."

"Okay." I said.

We walked outside, and it quickly became apparent that we had spent a lot of time inside Dr. Mario's office, as it was now dark out. I had made it to the other Smashers, there was a giant mess tent set up in front of town hall and several tables of food. Someway along the lines of picking food, I lost Lucas and Claus. I just decided to sit down at a table alone. When I was done eating I looked around.

Sadly with the entire town practically in ruins, we were homeless. Master Hand just summoned a bunch of sleeping bags, and those single person, roll up, foam mattresses that are only about an inch thick. "Everyone can go into the town hall to sleep." He said. "Peach, Zelda, Nana, and Samus, I hope you four don't mind sharing a room."

"Considering the circumstances, not at all." Peach said.

"I'll sleep in my ship." Samus said walking away.

"She has the right idea." Captain Falcon said. "I'll be in the Falcon Flyer."

"I'll be in the Great Fox." Fox said.

I actually thought it was a wonder that despite all of the destruction everywhere else, the vehicles were perfectly fine. Then again, much like the stadium, they were located outside of Smashville.

Ness, Claus, Popo, Toon Link, Lucas, and Red came rushing up to me. "Hey Nugai!" Ness said. "We decided which room in the town hall we're going to stay in." Ness said. "Come join us."

I was quickly pulled along with them. We got to what looked like an emptied out storage room. There was only a single window. I wouldn't say that the room was small, but it wasn't all that big either. We could all fit in there comfortably.

"Okay!" Ness said.

They pretty much crowded together and began telling some stories about their lives back at home. To be honest. I felt like I was going to miss these little guys. Through the past 28 days they've been like little brothers to me. Annoying little snots at times, but they've been like family.

I lied back on the mattress and just closed my eyes. Tomorrow would be just another day...

* * *

**Notes:**

**Holy NaNoWriMo Batman! I was half tempted to see if I could reach 50,000 words for a single chapter, but sorry, not today or in this story. Definitely wouldn't have been able to extend anything else for any longer. **

**Once again, I promise nothing this long for the rest of this story. In the future though, who knows.**

**As mentioned above, I was thinking of splitting this chapter into 4 parts, this is what I probably would have called them.**

**Day 28: Part 1: The Reaper, and a friend**

**Day 28: Part 2: The Observer, and the observed**

**Day 28: Part 3: The End, and a beginning**

**Day 28: Part 4: Nugai and Claus**

**I decided against it just mainly because that would screw up the formatting, and probably spoil a lot if someone just looked through the chapter titles before reading.**

**Due to popular demand I revealed (Read as: decided on/made up on the spot) Nugai's real name: Andrew. Initially, Nugai was just supposed to be a shameless author insert, but he's kind of grown into his own character, so I decided to not just give him my name. I was originally planning on not revealing his name. But... Meh...**

**Dokapon Kingdom: It's a party game on the Wii, and it was originally a PS2 game. The PS2 version is also available in North America. It's sort of a cross between Monopoly, Mario Party, and Dragon Quest. It's also surprisingly valuable on the Wii... It prides itself as the Friendship destroying game. I really can't vouch for that, I haven't had a game last long enough for any friendships to be destroyed. And I haven't played with anyone that would be in a position of having that friendship destroyed. (Sibling... cousins...)**

**Time for: Name that Cameo! The parallel worlds were all cameos of other stories.**

**I saw one with someone with a Lucario. **_**Pretty obvious, **__**The Subspace Emissary World's Conquest**__** I'm slowly making my way through it… I think I'm at chapter 156… I think the only thing that's keeping me from being totally intimidated by the word count is that I know how inaccurate the word count is occasionally on the website, and those 100's of words quickly add up. That and there is a lot of author notes which add to the word count… Kind of like this…**_

**I saw another where someone was with Ike and the rest of the Greil Mercenaries. **_**Not a SSB Series story, but a fire Emblem one, **__**Spellbinding Radiance**__**. I'm sure there are a bunch of other Fire Emblem fics where someone is sucked inside Path of Radience, and play through it... **_

**There was one where it looked like someone was stuck in a Smashers body. **_**An old story that is no longer on this site. I'm not even sure if it's still on the Internet. **__**26 Days in Melee Land**__**. The twist on the person from the real world interacting with video game characters was that for the majority of the fic, he wasn't in his own body and was jumping between the Smashers as a punishment. It was because of that fic that I made the 40 days a human could be in the virtual world. I think it was either originally going to be 39 to reference the amount of playable characters in SSBB but I just rounded up, or I counted Pokemon trainer as 4 characters as opposed to 3. The 35, the reduced time that Nugai has being the reference to the selectable characters without transformations or pokemon.**_

**Another world where there were people who were transforming into the Smashers. **_**We are the Smashers.**_**and another human was leading them, he seemed to have the power to draw in spirits into his body. ****We are the Smashers 2: The Spirit Master**_**. Um... also deleted off of the site... Sadly because of the author dieing. I was reading it though, and was only at the Luigi's Mansion chapters in the beginning... I was sort of liking it... There were some things such as The Runaway Guys being sort of out of place, and finding that just weird... Hopefully there is a mirror somewhere out there on the Internet so I can finish reading what was written... although my initial searches have failed miserably since it seems like someone with access to the Element Commander's accounts decided to delete the fic, and stuff on his Deviantart…**_

**There was one where it seemed like the world was bending around a girl, and the Smashers had been replaced by several normal people **_**The troll fic **__**Supper Smash Bros: Missonh from God.**__**It was a good laugh while it lasted, and it's now on a different site and completed. But yeah. (I think I did see 2 MST's of the fic here, if they last. Since last time I checked MST's were against the site's rules... but meh, I'm too lazy to report it, and I really don't care.)**_

**And Since I wasted so much space all ready on notes, what's a few more:**

**"Weak, weak and pathetic." I believe is a line from Xenoblade Chronicles. I don't exactly have the time to play through it to find the one instance of it…**

**Overide code ****76716 has no significance. It was just on a barcode near me when I was writing. I tried to think of a number, and I just turned and faced that, and took some of the digits and it was close enough.**

**Sometimes, when I type Reaper, I start randomly singing the song "Philistine" from No More Heroes 2. "Reaper, Reaper that's what people call me, why cause they all die..." And then I stop myself because I imagine that if I continued singing that and the Reaper was real he would kill me for some of the other lyrics and associating it with him.**

**The other note, well, I forget what my original thoughts on were with this story, and how it was originally going to end. I think it was just supposed to be a standalone story, but now it's building into something much, much, bigger with Zenith.**

**That's it for all of these notes. See you when I update again.**


	30. Day 29: New Years Eve

**Thankfully this chapter is much, _much_, _much_ shorter than the last... Less editing Yay!**

* * *

Day 29: New Years Eve

I was having a dream.

I was currently in a rather unfamiliar building. From what I could tell, it looked like a log cabin. I was currently in what appeared to be a giant mess hall. Nearby there was a window. I walked over to it and looked outside. Outside there was a beach and a large body of water. Was it a lake, or the sea? I didn't know, but I just kept on hearing the waves crest.

"You're here!" I heard a voice said. I turned to face the person.

He was completely unfamiliar to me. If I had to guess he was slightly younger than I was currently. I looked at the window, and sort of saw my reflection. I was much older. My hair was beginning to go white, it was also rather long and unruly, like it hadn't seen a comb in a while, just going down to a few inches beneath the back of my neck. I really hoped I was either super stressed out or over 35 because it was looking like age wasn't exactly kind... I had a rather clean shaven face, I guess I had just seen a razor.

"I'm glad you came back Nugai." he said. "Everyone has been rather nervous the past little bit. After the last attack. Not to mention all of the Smashers are afraid now that Zenith has captured Master and Crazy Hand."

I was really confused as to what was going on. "That isn't good..." The words escaped my mouth. I was just talking by myself, I had no control over what I was saying. It was like I was observing events as an outsider through my own eyes. "I suspected that they were getting ready for something bold, but not this bold."

"Do you think they will cut them up?"

"Most likely." I responded.

The kid flinched. His hand reached up for a Smash Pendant that was hanging around his neck.

"Andrew, what should I do? Why did you put everything on me?" He said.

_Wait, he knows my real name? _

"What if I make the wrong choice?"

"That won't happen." I said. "I'm positive."

"How are you so sure?"

"Look, I'm crazy, not stupid." I said. "I know you've got what it takes to make the right choice. That's why I chose you after all"

_I chose him? This person I don't even know the name of? I've never seen before... Wait, this has to be at least a few years in the future. People can greatly change over the course of a few years maybe I do know him. Or I meet him later..._

"You've endured every challenge so far." I said. "Fought others, defeated giant monsters, plenty of other stuff too."

"I've just gone with the flow though." He said. "I fought back in self defense, I thought that fighting the monsters was the right thing to do to protect others and send them back to their world. But now, everything's just been going way too fast. Before school ended I was just a normal person, getting ready to go to college next year. I was supposed to enjoy my last summer."

"How far are you willing to go?" I asked. "After accomplishing all that, you must want to see this through to the end. After it's all over, you can do whatever you want, you can return to your old life or start a new one, I promise."

"I do but... Are you going to tell me the truth?" He asked.

"Soon." I said. "When this is all over."

_The truth?_ _What's the truth?_

I wanted this dream to continue, so that maybe this truth could shed some light on a few things. Not to mention, I really wanted to know who this person was. Why did I choose him? Unfortunately, my dream was about to end...

* * *

I woke up in quite a bit of shock. I just laid there in the town hall, looking up at the ceiling. Whatever that dream was, it was way too weird for me.

_Zenith capturing Master and Crazy Hand? Who was that guy? It's not my subconscious as it all ready has a physical form. It's not the Observer... Was it a premonition?_

I eventually decided that right now it wasn't that important. I tossed and turned a few times, but was finding that my blankets were a bit too warm. I then got up and walked around the room a bit. I made sure not to step on any of the kid Smashers. Eventually I got back to my makeshift bed. The heat had all disappeared, and it was quite cool now. I just went down and covered my self once again.

I just closed my eyes and tried to fall back to sleep, I was hoping that I would get another dream that would answer the questions I had.

That sadly wasn't going to happen.

There was suddenly loud explosions off in the distance. Everyone began to bolt up. Each of the kid Smashers were looking both surprised and afraid.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"I don't know." Ness said.

"Did Crazy Hand set off fireworks in his sleep again?" Popo wondered.

"Let's just hope it's just that."

"Crap..." Claus muttered. "I was having such a nice dream."

Toon Link began to mutter something that I couldn't make out. Red also wasn't too happy either.

We all made our way to where the other Smashers were staying for the night. Well, at least the male Smashers. They were all awake and rather grumpy, each of them was echoing my previous comment. Some of them looked absolutely terrified.

Mewtwo just closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate. "It seems like something happened at the ships."

Despite their attire, almost everyone quickly began to rush out to the parking garage to get the ships. The smarter Smashers seemed to have grabbed a few blankets to keep warm in the cold winter morning. Others such as Roy, rushed out only in his boxers.

In December.

In snow.

In below freezing temperatures...

I'd be surprised if his equipment didn't freeze off, if you know what I mean.

We all made it to the ships. Waiting outside was Samus, Captain Falcon, Fox, Falco, and Wolf. I was confused. They were all there, what was the source of the explosion?

I looked and noticed that all three ships, Samus' gunship, the Great Fox, and the Falcon Flier, were actually parked strangely. They were in a triangle position. Each one was facing the other.

"What happened?" Mario asked.

"We decided to leave a trap for the Mole." Samus said.

"It was Fox's idea." Captain Falcon said. "We'd sleep in the Great Fox, and make it look like we were in our own individual ships, and then, we would wait. We were thinking that the Mole would attack one of us, since we made ourselves easy targets, and were practically announcing that we were going to be alone. And it looks like we were right, the mole is pretty stupid."

Everyone just looked at Samus' gunship and the Falcon Flier. "When someone was detected inside one of the ships, the shields would go up, trapping them in, and then, the guns would go off to notify everyone else. And it seems like the person went into my Falcon Flier."

We all looked at the ship. The shields went down and Fox, Falco, Wolf and Samus entered with their weapons ready. A few minutes later they came out. Each of them looking rather shocked. "It's empty." Samus said. "No one was in there hiding."

People began to look around panicked.

"So, it was just a misfire." Link said. "Well then... I guess we can all go back to sleep for the rest of the night."

Everyone else seemed to nod in agreement.

"Just a misfire, and it interrupted my dream." Wario muttered.

_No, it wasn't a misfire._

I was positive that the Mole tried to kill Captain Falcon. As everyone was walking back to the town hall, I stopped and listened in on Fox, Samus, Falco, Wolf, and Captain Falcon's conversation.

"It shouldn't have activated without the mole or someone else in there." Fox said.

"Someone was definitely in there." Samus said. "They just managed to make their way out somehow."

"Well, whoever the mole is, when I find out I'm going to make sure that they pay for the damages on my ship." Captain Falcon said.

They were right, the Mole once again managed to do something to disappear into thin air. And then be present with all of us to act as an alibi. I don't know how many others had noticed and decided to count the other Smashers while we were waiting, but all were present and accounted for.

_How did the mole do it? Wait, maybe teleporting?_

It was the only real explanation. But who all could do it? Having my memories of what everyone's capabilities were, and what they did in their own games restored, I quickly went down the list of who could do it.

Zelda with her Farore's Wind, as long as she set up a checkpoint. Zelda would have a nice advantage too, since the only people with her were Peach and Nana... with her sheika training she could probably sneak out without waking them. Link could probably do that too. Toon Link could use the Wind Waker, but it would probably of required being outside to actually use, not to mention we probably would have noticed the large amount of wind. And Toon Link was in the room when the explosion happened. Pikachu and Pichu, it wasn't so much as teleporting as just being able to move quickly. Mewtwo... He could teleport. But with everything else he had said and done, I doubted he could have been the mole. If it was him, he could easily paralyze us and then kill us all. Meta Knight could use his dimensional cape to go through the barrier, but at the same time, he probably wouldn't of been able to make it back to Smashville. Ness could teleport, but I seemed to remember him needing room to run, and while the Falcon Flier had a bit of space, I doubted it had enough. And once again, he was in the room when the explosion happened. Ganondorf, could also teleport, open portals and a bunch of other powerful magic spells.

_Wait, what if I'm doing this the wrong way?_

Fox, Falco, Wolf, Samus, and Captain Falcon were rather suspicious too. What if one of them was the mole. I was sure that the Great Fox had a teleportation device, or something. One of them could have snuck in, or snuck out. Or caused it to fire, or did something to make the Great Fox think that there was someone inside...

_What if the mole wasn't as stupid as we thought he was?_

That was another possibility too. He might of caught on to their plan and caused a misfire from the Great Fox remotely.

When we made it back to the town hall, everyone pretty much got back to their bed. I think most people figured that the mole wasn't going to try and strike again tonight. I made it back to the room with the other kid Smashers. They were all just talking about anything. Now they seemed to have decided that they were going to try and stay up until morning. Unfortunately, one by one they all fell asleep, and I too fell asleep.

I was woken up later by several other Smashers moving around. I just noticed the sunlight coming in through the windows, and decided to get up. As I got up, I saw out of the window. Smashville was still in ruins. The wireframes that had been working through the night had reconstructed some of the houses. But at the moment, they were nothing more than empty shells.

"Was that all just a dream?" Ness asked.

"The explosions waking us in the middle of the night? No." I replied.

Everyone just groaned. Not all to impressed about it. "This mole is pretty sneaky." Toon Link said. "I wonder how he gets from place to place. Imagine the pranks you could pull off with that ability."

"You'd get in more trouble than you all ready are." Claus said.

I just got up, trying to ignore them. Honestly, I didn't want to get dragged into any discussions of who I thought the mole was, or how they were able to do it. I was sure Ness had all ready read my mind and was offended that I even suspected him.

"Hey, Nugai! Do you know what today is?" Claus asked.

The question caught me off guard. I just looked around at all of them a bit confused.

"Monday?" I said confused.

"It's New Years Eve!" Lucas replied. "We get to say good bye to 2007, and then welcome 2008!"

My mind seemed to flash back to home. I imagine under normal circumstances, I'd be drinking it up with friends tonight, maybe even the Reaper if he was still alive. But here I was. Stuck with the Smashers.

"You don't think of us as your friends?" Claus said rather offended.

"Stop doing that!" I said. "Can I have a little privacy! My mind isn't an open book."

"Depending on who you ask, it is." Ness said.

I just glared at them. "I meant my friends back home, okay." I said. "You guys are my friends too."

"Sure you did, you're just saying that to cover yourself." Claus teased.

"And if we're friends, why don't you come over here and help us catch the mole." Ness said. "I'm sure you've got your own theories about how the mole does things."

I just looked at them, and walked over. "Listen, I'm only going to say this out of concern." I said. "Who ever the mole is, they're dangerous. Don't go looking for them."

"So, you finally decide to act your age." Claus said. "Why don't you take your own advice though? You were going to look for him all by yourself."

_This little shit!_

"I heard that." Claus said.

"Stop reading my mind!" I snapped. "Listen, I respect you guys, you're great friends. You've made the time that I spent in here enjoyable. So please, don't go looking for the mole. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"You're underestimating us, aren't you?" Popo said. "We're Smashers too you know. You don't have to discriminate because of our age."

I just cringed. "I don't want to see you guys get hurt, okay." I said. "That's all there is too it. I don't want to see any of the Smashers hurt."

They all looked at me a little frustrated. I figured that the best way to get them to stop this was to just tell them what I thought. Ness and Claus seemed to smile realizing they won.

"I think the mole can teleport." I said. "If you try to confront him, he or she could quickly get out of Smashville, or teleport away after killing you, or behind you. That's at least what I think with no one being in the ship early in the morning."

"Someone who can teleport..." Ness said. "Well, there are a lot of Smashers who have that ability."

"I know." I said. "I think the only way to guarantee everyone's safety is to expose the mole whenever everyone is together."

"Any idea who the mole is?" Toon Link asked.

"Unfortunately, no." I said.

"Any thoughts on who isn't the mole then?" Toon Link asked.

"Toon!" Ness said.

"The only people I can say without a shadow of a doubt that aren't the mole are you guys." I said. "I was awake when the explosion happened. And I had looked around the room, so unless one of you was able to have a duplicate, you were all present."

"Well, I guess that only puts Popo under suspicion then." Toon Link said. "Maybe Nana was filling in for him."

"Toon, that's not even funny!" Popo shouted. "Besides, that's not even taking into account using a wireframe to copy your appearance and act like you would, or you being able to use the command melody."

Toon Link just looked at Popo. "That' was a rather quick response, maybe you had it ready just in case. How do we know you're not Nana? Maybe you should drop your pants just so we can be sure."

Ness just smacked Toon Link over the head. "No one wants to see that."

"Toon Link, stop." I said. "First of all, Popo isn't the mole, second of all I think it's far too early to say who the mole is." I said. "All we know is that it's a member of the Smashers. And beyond that it's just speculation. If we continue down this path, we will end up fighting each other. That being said, have you heard of Knox's ten commandments for mystery novels?"

They all looked at me a bit confused. "What?"

"There are 10 rules for writing a mystery novel. Here, let me tell you them. 1. The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story." I figured this would at least stop them from just rushing out and looking for the mole, and it would at least be a way to pass some time.

"So, in this case, someone who is in the Smashers." Popo said. "We all ready know that."

"Correct." I said. "2. All supernatural things are ruled out."

"Not in this place where there are how many psychics." Ness said.

"But that in itself makes it suspicious, don't you think?" Claus said. "How come we haven't been able to read the mole's mind, and figure out who he or she is? In that case, wouldn't it be a psychic?"

"Well, Nugai showed that there was some way you could block reading someone's mind." Lucas said. "Although that way was rather unnatural. But I'm sure there might be natural ways to do it."

My mind just suddenly flashed to Snake. I remembered in Metal Gear Solid how he fought against someone who could read his every move, or rather read the players inputs on the controller, and then by switching the controller port, he immediately could no longer be read. I just thought about that for a few seconds. Snake was an expert at sneaking too, if he was the mole, he probably wouldn't have been caught in that trap, and could of returned back to the Smashers by using the cypher unit. He could have simply landed on the ground and just joined us all with out anyone noticing. But I doubted it was Snake. If he was the mole, he would have killed me back when he had the chance in the forest.

"Still, to block your mind from being read, you have to be a powerful psychic, or know one, as Mewtwo said." Ness said. "What's the next rule Nugai?"

"3. Only one secret room or passage is allowed. And then, it has to be in a house or building for which it is appropriate due to age or purpose."

"So, do the Smash Mansion's, and the ones in Smashville count in this case?" Ness wondered.

"I don't think so. All of the Smashville ones were destroyed with the exception of one. And we only found out about it yesterday..." I said. I suddenly paused.

_Wait, how did yesterday's events play out if the Reaper wasn't killing everyone? They wouldn't know about that... we would have had no reason to retreat..._

"I went exploring yesterday before bed." Ness said, "And then I found the passageway, but you're right it was blocked by a mound of dirt, when I tried to move it, more dirt just poured in."

"As for the Smash Mansion, it was made with the intent of us ever being attacked to be able to quickly escape to somewhere safe." Popo said. "Master Hand had explained that to us when we came for the Melee days, and the war was getting a bit worse."

I nodded. "4 No undiscovered poisons may be used. Or anything that requires a long explanation at the end."

"I don't think this really pertains to us, since he's been trying to kill us using rather obvious methods." Red said. "Push crate, squish humans. Attack person while they are sleeping."

"Yeah." Ness said. "This mole isn't exactly going for subtle."

"5. Don't make it obvious."

Everyone just looked at me blankly.

"Well, it's more or less for writing, I also kind of reworded it, it just means that basically don't make it the special guest star that week in a TV show, or a minority that is commonly depicted as a criminal or villain." I explained.

"Well, I guess since the Mole hasn't been caught so far, it hasn't been obvious." Toon Link said.

"Okay, just stop for a second." Ness said a bit confused. "How are you able to remember all this stuff off of the top of your head?"

"Well, I figure, it's completely useless information that I will never have any practical use for." I sighed. "That's why I'm able to recall it."

The Smashers just groaned.

"That, and last month, in November, I was attempting to write a mystery novel." I said.

Everyone just looked at me a bit confused. "A mystery novel?"

"Yeah…" I said. "I was participating in something called NaNoWriMo… National Novel Writing Month, it's something in my world where you try to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days, normally taking place in November."

"That sounds interesting…" Lucas said. "I'd like to try it sometime."

"And yeah, I was deciding on a mystery novel. And I just stumbled across them as part of my preliminary research." I laughed rather embarrassed. "Although I eventually decided to write something else, so these are just sticking out in my mind as useless factoids."

"Okay, so what's the next rule?" Claus wondered.

"6. No accident can help the detective. He also can't have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right."

"So basically, the detective can't just be 'I know now!'" Ness said.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair enough." I said. "7. The detective can not commit the crime."

They all just looked at me. "Well, did you?" Toon Link teased.

"No. How could I?" I asked. "I was nearly crushed by that giant crate too! I can't be in two places at once!"

"Maybe you can, and you're just hiding it. It might also explain why you were awake for the explosion." Ness teased.

"Moving on, 8."

"You're avoiding the subject." Claus teased. "That's awfully suspicious."

"And you can read my mind like a book." I replied back. "You all ready know I'm innocent."

"Fine, fine, you win this round." Ness laughed.

Although, I think in theory I actually could be in two places at once, since I still had a small fraction of Dialga and Palkia's power... but I didn't have it back then...

"Anyways, 8. The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader." I said. "It's just to stop there from being no clues, and pretty much pulling the answers right out of the detective's ass."

"Still, these ones for writing aren't exactly doing a lot for helping us solve this mystery." Claus said. "We would have actually had to of seen the clues, and discern them for ourselves."

"9. The friend, assistant, of the detective, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind."

"I'm hungry, can we go get breakfast?" Ness asked.

"I want a nice long hot shower." Toon Link said.

"I'd like to just relax in my own bed." Red said.

"I hope the Reaper dies in a fire." Popo said. "Along with the mole."

"You guys aren't really helping." I muttered. "10. Twin brothers and doubles generally must not appear unless prepared."

Everyone looked at Lucas, Claus, and Popo.

"Oh come on!" The three of them shouted.

"Well, Lucas was with the Reaper once..." Toon Link said. "Maybe Claus was continuing the tradition. And everything yesterday was just a front."

"I'm innocent." Claus said. "Ask Nugai."

They all looked at me. "Is he innocent, Nugai?"

"Yes." I said.

"How do you know?" Popo wondered.

"It would take far too long to explain." I said.

"We have all day." Red said.

I let off a heavy sigh. I looked at a nearby pillow and just waved my hand above it. Soon the streams of data barcodes came out. "Can you see this?" I asked.

"Yeah, it looks like a bunch of barcodes."

"This is data." I said. "I can edit it. So, for example..." I figured I would just do something simple, like just changing the color of the pillowcase. From a plain white to a bright orange. "I can do more complex stuff, but that's far more taxing."

Ness looked a bit shocked at me.

"Like psychics I can use this method to read Claus' mind, and see everything that happened." I said. I placed my hand over Claus' forehead and suddenly he had a blank expression on his face. "I can go through his memories, and all that. I just quickly read the data. Even if there was a psychic block I'm pretty sure I'd be able to find it, and it wouldn't be any match for me."

I figured that would be the best explanation. I took my hand away from Claus' forehead and he regained consciousness.

"With that ability, why don't you use that to find the mole?" Red asked.

"To go up to each and every Smasher?" I said. "I'm pretty sure the mole would figure it out. I'd only have a few chances before everyone got suspicious."

"There's got to be some way, without raising suspicion right? I mean, what if you began to hug everyone to say good bye." Ness suggested. "Like say you're suddenly going back to your world, or something."

"That would never work..." I muttered. "It takes a while to read through all of the memories, and I'm sure the Mole would get suspicious with all of the long lasting hugs."

"So, you have to figure out who the mole is some other way." Ness sighed. "Even if you have it, you're just about as clueless as us psychics."

"Yeah, well, you'll share all your thoughts on who the mole is with us, right?" Claus asked.

"Listen, I want to avoid further discussion of the mole with you guys." I said. "I honestly think of you as little brothers, and I don't want to discuss this stuff with you."

They all looked at me both confused and surprised.

"I think the mole right now is trying to separate the Smashers by causing everyone to suspect each other. Once we begin to fight, and start doing the blame game, we will be easy targets." I said. "So please, let's not talk about this any more. I'll catch the mole. Just trust in me, please."

They were silent until someone's stomach began to growl.

"Guys, really I'm hungry, let's go get breakfast." Ness said.

They all nodded. I'd like to of thought that I at least distracted them long enough, and hopefully they decided to do something else besides chase after the mole. We made our way outside. There was a tent set up. Inside of it was a bunch of wireframes cooking some food. Just pancakes, some bacon, some eggs. We grabbed some plates and then went back into the town hall to eat.

We all ate our food quickly, and made our way back into the tent for more. I was finding myself really hungry. With all of the events catching up to me. I don't know about the other kid Smashers, but that was at least the reason I was eating so much. The others I just assumed because they were growing.

When we were done. We all pretty much just collapsed on our makeshift beds and looked up at the ceiling.

"I ate too much." Ness moaned.

"The mighty Smashers, defeated by breakfast." Claus laughed.

It wasn't very long until Princess Peach came into the room with a megaphone. "All right you slackers, get up off of your beds, and it's time to get moving!"

"Oh crap." Ness muttered. "If one of you are the mole, can you kill me now?"

"Please do the same to me." Popo said.

Red, Lucas, Claus, and myself just looked around rather confused. "What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"It's time for setting up for the party tonight." Toon Link whimpered.

Much like Toon Link said, we were immediately put to work, with clean up, and other tasks.

Sometime in the afternoon, I had my first break. I just sat on a nearby tree stump and had a nice cold drink. I didn't care how cold it was outside, I was personally really hot. I took a few minutes to watch everyone else. Hoping that the mole would strike out of desperation to get out of work.

"Sonic, don't do your job so quickly! It's sloppy!" I heard Princess Peach shout through the mega phone.

Several wireframes were also setting up a stage and speakers. Behind where they were setting up the stage there were boxes and boxes of fireworks. It looked to me like Master Hand had spared no expense with the New Years Eve party; I just hoped the Reaper didn't crash it.

A wireframe gently pushed me, and I moved out of the way. I looked to see them just carrying another box filled with fireworks. Boy, how I'd hate to be one of the Smashers with enhanced hearing tonight.

"Nugai!" a voice called out. "Can you come over here and help out?"

"Sure." I said.

I rushed over to Princess Peach, she then directed me to a storage room in the city hall. There were several tables and chairs all stored away for events like this.

"Can you move the tables out in accordance to this map?" She asked, handing over a piece of paper. I looked at it. There was several tables dedicated to food, some to hot food, others to desserts. Some for drinks. Then there were several tables out for us to sit at. All under a giant tent.

"I'll do my best." I said.

"Thanks, Nugai." She said.

I was practically alone setting up the tables, but that wasn't a problem. My time as a Smasher had made me stronger. These tables were also more awkward than anything. Being the only one to move them, I had to balance them from the centre, and I found myself hitting the walls, and doors quite constantly. Every single time I did that though, I could see a wireframe visibly cringe, perhaps knowing that they would be the ones to repaint it.

Eventually all of the tables were set out. I made my way back into city hall and into the kitchen. Nothing was cooking there. Everything was going to be catered.

At least from the looks so far I had to say that the Smashers certainly knew how to throw a party.

I took an apple that was on display in a fruit basket, and began to eat it. When I was done with the apple, I went to throw the core into a garbage can. It had one of those revolving doors. So, I just decided to throw the apple core into it. It went in.

"Ouch." I heard a voice say.

I walked over to the garbage can and looked into it. There I saw Toon Link inside it. I did my best to just keep a straight face.

_Ew. Gross. Disgusting. Don't come near me..._

"Nugai!" Toon Link whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Working?" I said

"You should be like everyone else and hiding, besides the wireframes will do the work."

I just rolled my eyes.

"Nugai, there you are." Princess Peach said. "Have you seen Toon Link?"

I glanced down at the garbage can, I used aura to see inside. He currently had the Master Sword up in the air and ready to go through the garbage can if I gave the wrong answer. "Not recently." I said. "Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Empty all of the garbage bins." She said. "They seem to be rather full."

I just nodded. She went away, and I just looked at Toon Link. "I suggest finding a new hiding spot, or you're going to be finding yourself in the dump."

Work continued until the evening. I found myself making my way back to the makeshift beds and just collapsing on one.

"You should of hid like everyone else." I heard a voice said. In the corner there was a pile of pillows. Underneath it was Ness.

If I had something within my reach, I probably would have thrown it at him. "I'll remember this..." I said, just really making an empty threat.

I had a quick nap, and was woken up by Ness shaking me. "It seems like everything has begun." He said.

I just glanced up at him. "Oh..."

"Food's ready and all of that."

"Okay." I muttered. "Let me sleep."

"Come on, you're not going to sleep on New Years Eve, are you?"

"It's just like every other day of the year." I replied. "At midnight, nothing spectacular happens and we continue on with our lives."

Ness' hand just sparked with electricity and he zapped me. I jumped up and glared at him. "What was that for?"

"To wake you up." Ness said. "Besides, once the fireworks start no one is going to be able to sleep in a five mile radius of this place. So, come on, let's go get food."

We made our way outside. There was a stage that had been set up and currently there was a band on it playing some music. There was also a large amount of pyrotechnics, though I imagine that was because the band wanted to stay warm. We then went into the tent with all of the tables. There were several caterers lining the tables with some food. Behind the tent there was a trailer, I'm guessing that was where they were cooking all of the food. I just grabbed a plateful of food, and sat down with the rest of the kid Smashers and we began to eat.

"There are a few other people here today." Ness said. "All of the assist trophies for starters."

"That's great." Popo said.

I didn't really pay that much attention to their conversation. I just slowly ate the food. When I was done my plate, an announcement came through some speakers.

"Attention all Smashers, can you please come out to in front of the stage?" Princess Peach's voice rang.

We reluctantly made our way to the stage. It was currently empty, however Princess Peach went up onto it and there was much clapping. "Welcome everyone to our New Years Eve party!" She said. "Now then, Zelda and I are happy to of thrown this party, and I think it's time for us to decide who will be running next years New Years Eve party!"

"All ready?" I muttered. "Geeze, this year still has a few hours left still."

"But first, we're going to do a tradition for all of the Smashers, at new years." Peach said. "All of the new Smashers are going to get up, on the stage and say their new years resolution!"

I think all of us had the same reaction. "WHAT!?" Even Ness, and the older Smashers were rather shocked. I had a feeling that this was just an initiation ritual to shame us, or at least for them to get to know us a little bit better.

"We'll be doing it in alphabetical order." Princess Peach said.

"WHAT!?" Claus shouted suddenly afraid, realizing that he would be first. I had to do my best to hide a devilish grin. I was so glad I didn't tell anyone my real name. Claus was panicking so much I doubt he even would of been able to read my mind. Besides, even if he did and found out that alphabetically I was first, he would only be delaying the inevitable by what? 3 seconds?

We were forced up, and then forced to line up. King Dedede protested that the King was apart of his name, and that he should get to go later, but Princess Peach and Princess Zelda just replied that it was a title, and he is still going second.

Lucario was also uncomfortable in the line, and wanted to quickly run away. The once cool and composed Claus was breaking down into fear. I was glad that I hadn't told anyone my real name so that I was 8th out of the 16 instead of first. Towards the end of the line, they were rather annoyed, but didn't have any of the nervousness. They figured that they had all the time in the world to make up something.

"Okay, Claus why don't you tell us your resolution."

Claus walked forwards. Everything about his movements was now stiff. I couldn't help but laugh. I wasn't alone either. His face went red when he heard several of the laughs. "Um, well, my new years resolution is have at least a 50 percent win ratio on the Smash Battles."

People began to applaud. And he quickly went down to his seat.

"Dedede." Peach said.

King Dedede walked forwards, still upset that he was going second as opposed to fourth. "My new years resolution?" He said "I plan to beat Kirby here in the Smashers!"

"Diddy Kong." Zelda said.

Diddy Kong quickly rushed up to the microphone. "My new years resolution is to grow some banana trees here in Smashville!" He said quickly jumping down and returning to his seat.

"Ike." Peach said.

Ike walked up to the podium. He was one of the few Smashers who didn't have any nervousness. "My goal for the next year is simple. It's to hone my skills and place in the top 5 of the Smashers."

Several people cheered. I could swear I saw Fox grinning, anticipating the fights.

"Lucario." Princess Zelda said.

Lucario walked up to the podium. "I have no goals." He said, before walking away.

Several of the Smashers were just a bit shocked. It took Princess Peach, and Princess Zelda at least ten seconds to recover, and call up the next person. "Lucas."

Lucas walked up. He was dragging his feet, and then when he got to the podium, he reached up to adjust the microphone. "Um... well... I don't really have a new years resolution." Lucas admitted. "I guess making more friends in the Smashers."

Lucas walked down to his seat and then Meta Knight went up, not even waiting for Princess Peach or Zelda to call out his name. It was then I realized that I was next. It was now the fear began to hit me. So much that I didn't even hear Meta Knight's new year's resolution. "Nugai." A voice said.

I began to walk towards the podium. I got there and looked at the crowd of Smashers. "Um, my new years resolution... I didn't really think of one. Though if I was pressed I'd say beat the Reaper and return home."

I just made my way down to the other kid Smashers and stood there. The nervousness had instantly vanished. I just stood there, hardly paying attention to any of the other resolutions, only clapping when others clapped. When it was done, we were allowed to go back into the mess tent. The kid Smashers went in and I followed. We stopped at a table and each got a mug of hot chocolate. We claimed a table, and the kid Smashers began to talk amongst themselves once again. I just looked around not really paying any attention. When my mug of hot chocolate was empty I went up to get another, but beyond that I didn't really move.

After a while I began to notice that it was really getting stuffy in the mess tent. I looked around and eventually stood up.

"Nugai, is something wrong?" Ness asked.

"I just need some fresh air." I said.

Ness nodded in agreement. "I was just thinking about getting up to go outside too. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

We walked out of the tent and made our way away from the festivities. The music had started up again and it was blaring. You could hear it from anywhere in Smashville.

We got to the small river that flowed through the town and just sat at the bank. We began to pack up some snowballs and throw them in. "So, you plan on beating the Reaper."

"Well, it's a good thing I've got all the time in the world, right?" I laughed. "No, I plan on our next encounter being our last. He's only a shell of what he once was."

"Nugai, I just wanted to say my good byes right now." Ness said.

I looked at him rather confused. "Why?"

"Last night I had a dream." He said. "I think we're never going to see each other again after you beat the Reaper."

I was a bit confused.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. In the dream, you were gone." Ness said. "Maybe when you beat him you go right back home."

"Come on, that's stupid." I said. "I've got all the time in the world now. I can go back home and come back here any time I please." At the time, I was so exhausted from setting up for the party that I had completely forgotten about how I programmed separating the two worlds.

"Still." Ness said. "I hope you stick around a bit when you do beat him."

"Why?"

"Well, there are things I want to know about you." Ness said. "Hey, maybe you could take us into your world and show us around!"

"Sorry, I'm trying to prevent our two worlds from fusing." I said. "I don't think people would take well to fictional characters being around them. That and my place is far too small for the Smashers."

We just sat there and talked for a little while, until I suddenly froze. I couldn't help but feel that we were being watched. I tried to use aura, but Ness just interrupted me. "Well, I think we've been away from the party for long enough." Ness said. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, sorry." I said.

I got up and we began to walk back to the party until I suddenly fell forwards. I landed on the ground, and Ness looked rather surprised. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so." I replied.

"What happened?" He asked.

I looked back. "I think I tripped on a rock or ice or something." I said.

"Well, do you need help getting back up?" Ness asked. He extended his hand, and I grabbed it. He pulled me up, and we walked back together. I hadn't sprained my ankle or anything. It was just more surprising than anything. So, I didn't think very much of it. I was also quite exhausted, so that might of contributed to it too.

We made our way back to the party and just enjoyed our time. At about 10:30 fire works began to go off. Each of the younger Smashers seemed to enjoy it. Everyone looked up at the fireworks, which turned into various Smasher's faces and even one that was the Smash Logo. I took a drink out of the hot chocolate and continued to look up memorized by the lights. The fireworks continued for a while. Eventually like all good things they came to an end.

However we all saw something else in the sky. An aurora. It just danced across the night sky.

"That aura? What is it?" Peach asked.

I looked into the aurora and could see earth.

"That's my way home." I said. I was honestly excited. And then I just froze and looked at it. "No, that's a lie. I could always return home. That is the graphical representation of the amount of time our two universes are remaining linked. Looking over it, I have just about 5 days to return back before I'm permanently stuck on this side."

"And how do you know all of that?" Pikachu asked.

"I just looked at it and knew." I replied. It wasn't a lie. I just did. I let off a weak laugh, was it just a coincidence, or did I subconsciously program the two universes to be separated permanently to coincide with the 35 day limit I had? It was just a big fat joke. Everything was a joke, and I was the punch line.

I just began to laugh. The stress was finally getting to me.

_Damn it... I don't want to say good-bye..._

But it was too late for that. The rest of the night continued. I spent my time going around to other tables. I stopped by Fox, Falco, Wolf, Snake, and Captain Falcon, they were playing some cards.

And then 5 minutes before midnight we were all directed outside in front of the stage again, and handed some drinks. The older Smashers got alcoholic beverages to do a toast, while the younger Smashers, were given a hot apple cider. There was now a big screen which was counting down. Most of the Smashers were just talking amongst themselves until the final minute where they then focused on the big screen.

And then the countdown began.

"10!" I heard a bunch of Smashers say.

"9!"

"8"

"7"

"6"

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

"0"

"Happy new year!"

From above us confetti fell down from some party balls opening. And then, around Smashville the start of the final batch of fireworks went up into the sky to mark the new year. They began to toast glasses and drink a bit. I drank some of the apple cider.

_A new year..._

I felt just like walking away and making my way back to the makeshift bed. However I quickly noticed I was boxed in by everyone who was looking up at the fireworks. I just looked up at the sky figuring that it would be over quickly. I was tired and I wanted to get back to bed so quickly. My eyes were closing a bit, and looking at several other Smashers I was seeing they were having the same trouble too.

More and more fireworks began to go up into the air, and then they exploded. Bright flashes of light went off with different symbols. I just kept looking up and watching them, and all of the different shapes; a chaos emerald, Mushrooms, Wario's 'W', Sonic's head, a pokeball, a crate, swords, eggs, a Smart bomb, the normal fireworks that just did the starburst explosion. After about five minutes of fireworks they ended. I just stood there still looking up at the sky. All of the events of the past 29 days were playing in my head, and then, suddenly everything clicked.

Everyone was beginning to disperse, but I had to stop them somehow, the Mole would most definitely strike again tonight...

"That's it!" I shouted. Everyone looked at me both confused and surprised.

"What's it?" Snake asked, coughing up some coffee.

"I know who the mole is!" I said.

Everyone looked at me rather shocked.

* * *

**Finally the homestretch… ALMOST DONE THIS STORY! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! **

**Probably just broke one of the Knox's ten commandments too... There are some hints spread out throughout the story... although I don't exactly think I'm that good at writing mysteries...  
**

**The NaNoWriMo thing, some background information: this was originally started as a NaNoWriMo one year, way back before Brawl was released. I got the basic situation down, before deciding to write something else. I had tried writing this story, or one like it a couple times before, only involving Melee. Nugai and the Reaper were two different characters, there was no amnesia, they weren't fighting each other, they were just cousins or best friends that were sucked into the game one night by accident. Some stuff remained the same, such as them learning how to fight and the training. I don't remember if there was much for a plot otherwise though. **

**Random Note: I've never done a new years eve in Animal Crossing... I'm with family or friends, and we're playing other games. Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Kirby Air Ride. Animal Crossing is kind of the farthest thing away... Maybe this year in New Leaf. Then again since X/Y I haven't been in my town, I'm afraid to go back...**

**So, next chapter, you find out who the mole is, and this story passes 200,000 words. Hopefully it will be posted tomorrow.  
**


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